If you happened to find yourself on Main Street on the evening of Wednesday the 19th, you may have noticed a line stretching down the block from The Ark. What were all those people waiting for? According to the performers themselves, possibly the “stupidest show” the historic venue has ever seen.
Off Book: The Improvised Musical Podcast, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. In each episode its two talented hosts, Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino, concoct a totally improvised musical with the assistance of a special guest and “pianist of kings” Scott Passarella (as McKenna and Reino refer to him). Currently, the show is on the road, and they made a stop at The Ark to sing about Michigan and birds. They were joined as always by Passarella, and with them for this show was Ann Arbor’s own Jack Harris on drums!
The room was full of people and excitement. A group of old improv friends reconnected in the row in front of me. The show started with Reino and McKenna asking for suggestions from the audience for words. They landed on griffins and soup (the latter didn’t come up much), and their conversation spun into a musical about an insecure sparrow trying to be more like an eagle, a group of park rangers, a guy trying to take his boyfriend on the perfect date by pulling words out of a jar, and the spirit of Pure Michigan. You’ll just have to take my word for it– it was amazing. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while.
McKenna and Reino have been making the podcast since 2017, and it’s evident in how they play off of each other. It’s almost as if they can read each other’s minds. The musical talents of Passarella and Harris are not to be forgotten, either– all four are constantly inventing melodies and rhythms on the fly and rolling with whatever gets thrown their way.
For many people, improv is a scary word. As someone who has seen and done their fair share of bad improv, I understand why. There’s a particular kind of torture in watching people “yes, and-ing” each other through something deeply unfunny. However– when it works, it really works. Luckily for all involved, this really worked.