Sarasota Improv Festival headliner creates Broadway musicals on the fly

Shitzprobe! No, it’s not an unpleasant medical procedure. It’s an improv troupe that got its name from "sitzprobe," Broadwayspeak for the first time that singers and orchestra perform together.

New York City-based Shitzprobe will be the headliners at the Sarasota Improv Fest — where they’ll put on an improvised Broadway musical. That’s no joke. This ambitious, hilarious show is the brainchild of Ali Reed, Kiki Mikkelsen and Adrien Pellerin. Along with being a co-creator, Reed is also in the cast. I tried to learn her secret. And failed. But we still had an interesting talk.

How would you describe a Shitzprobe show?

We improvise a Broadway musical without a script or prior rehearsals. We’ll showcase a special guest performer in the lead role. [Local performers] Joey Panek and Ben Liebert are our guests at the Improv Fest. It’s a first-time experience for them. But they’re supported by a cast of veteran improvisers and Broadway performers, along with a full live band.

Sounds great. But let’s get back to, “We improvise a Broadway musical.” That’s kind of like saying, “We perform brain surgery wearing blindfolds.”

(laughs) It kind of is.

But seriously … I’m impressed. My grasp of song and story structure goes back to Mad magazine parodies. I got a great education — with some refresher course with Weird Al (Yankovic).

He’s great.

Yes, he is. But I think your knowledge goes deep. You satirize Broadway styles, not specific works. And you do it on the spot! You must know what makes a Broadway musical tick — so educate me, please. What do you know that I don’t? What’s your secret sauce?

If I told you the recipe, it wouldn’t be a secret anymore. I’ll keep the final ingredient to myself.

Fair enough.

But I will say we’ve studied different storytelling structures in musical theater. We’ve narrowed it down to four variations. The Hero’s Journey is the big one. Most of our shows follow that path. But that sounds too abstract … too academic. Like a diagram.

Or a chalk outline at a crime scene.

Exactly! Our shows have a rhythm. It’s organic, not calculated. What we do is in the moment. We’re not following a template.

You’re not thinking … crikey! It’s time for the inciting incident! 

No. We’re more like … There’s constant communication. But it’s wordless.

Like telepathy?

Mmmm … no. More Like scuba divers underwater. We’re on stage. All of a sudden … it’s showtime! And we don’t have a show. The teammates and the band and our music director have to decide which direction we’ll go in that moment. We gesture, we exchange looks. We’re not talking, but we’re asking each other questions … “What’s a strong song structure? Who am I? Who are you? What’s the story?” We get on the same page — but just in that moment. What’s next? We don’t know yet. It’s fun … but kind of like falling.

So, how do you get to the next moment? 

We just do. We’re doing it all on the fly, so it's all coming from emotion and instinct. We just bounce from one thing to another.

Free association?

Yeah. So, one character bends over backwards. He shouts, “I crave a pizza!” Then he suddenly starts singing. Then he’s part of a chorus line. And that’s how it goes. It’s a flow.

But it’s a structured flow. Because you know what makes Broadway musicals tick. Do actual Broadway creators envy you? Are you making their jobs look too easy?

Maybe. (laughs) One Broadway lyricist and composer (who will remain unnamed) saw our show. He said it was better than some of the stuff he’d seen on Broadway.

Great compliment!

Yes, it was. But he didn’t sound happy.