It was a good night for a great laugh Friday, Feb. 2, at West Liberty High School. Family, friends, and community members witnessed the debut of The Part-Time Simpletons.
The high school improv comedy troupe of ten, which has been rehearsing with Director Dorianne Rees since January, was finally ready to show the world what it could do.
In a game-like format reminiscent of shows like “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” the students followed instructions and hilarity ensued. These quick-witted and energetic youngsters wowed the crowd with their antics under Rees’ guidance.
“My favorite thing,” Rees said of her students, “Is just how excited they get and how dedicated they are. I mean, the fact that we meet every Tuesday and they’re actually mad at me because we don’t go longer, it warms my heart.”
Their dedication shows on stage, as they fling themselves wholeheartedly into their craft. The clowning and general silliness were in top form as the kids put on a show that had the audience roaring with laughter.
It began simply enough. Rees introduced her students, some of whom were Simpletons last year as well.
“This is our first performance of the year,” Rees said. “We have some new faces, and we have some…other faces.”
A few students were on stage and others hid outside where they couldn’t hear the decisions being made in the auditorium. The hidden students then returned and had to solve the mystery. This format came back again in other scenarios.
The resulting shenanigans had one student pretending to be a human pencil, rubbing his nose on the floor and demanding paper, while two other students, Madyx Becker and Oliver Lovell, argued about whose turn it was to mop and tried to discover what on earth pencil-kid Wesley Heath was doing down there.
The laughter only got louder when El Womachka became a toaster and shouted “take the bread!” Then Flynn Womachka entered the scene as a Barbie impersonator and nonsense ruled the night.
Every student got their turn to explore their wit and talent while making their parents and teachers proud.
In one scene, the young comedians were asked to speak only gibberish while acting out a scene charades-style, then others were tasked with putting the charade into words.
It looked like Jacob Zeman gave Oliver Lovell a haircut, then murdered him, only to be caught red-handed by Tucker Womachka.
By the end, Rowan Womachka was threatening Ambrose Eck with a folding chair while reenacting President Lincoln’s assassination like it was Wrestlemania.
Another comedy gold standard is the press conference. To make it silly the audience decided the topic of the press conference, in this case, the cops ate all the doughnuts.
The issue of frosting caused a lot of drama and at one point, the comedians even questioned the availability of holes in the absence of doughnuts.
The final game of the night was a friendly debate: Jeans Vs. Cargo Pants. Jacob Zeman had the audience in the palm of his hand when he acknowledged the general lack of pockets for women.
In the end, it was unclear who won but it was certain that most of the students were wearing sweatpants, making the whole point rather moot.
The first performance of the year was a big hit, but there will be more from The Part-Time Simpletons later this year. The next improv show will be March 29. These students will be performing at Night of Nites, (dinner, dessert and entertainment) on March 7.
Many of these same talented performers will be at Liberty Public House for Bingo Over Broadway on April 13 at 6 p.m. Also watch out for this talented group of young people at the spring musical, “Once Upon a Mattress,” which is a parody of “The Princess and the Pea”.
And when you do see The Part-Time Simpletons Improv Troupe, make sure you visit the restroom on your way in. They’re only getting funnier with practice!