On January 23, the UTSC Improv Club put on their biggest performance of the year at the Leigha Lee Browne Theatre. Written by Eeman Chaudhry, UTSC Improv’s co-founder and president, this year’s show, Comedy Killer, follows the fate of an improv team from the fictional town of Scarsboro — a spoof on Woodsboro, the Scream franchise’s setting — as they are slowly picked off by a serial killer intent on their demise.

In an interview with The Varsity, Chaudhry said that in past years, the club’s largest performances have included shorter scripted skits. However, Comedy Killer is a two-hour semi-scripted play with various improv games written into the story, making it their most ambitious project yet. 

After a short delay caused by a fire false-alarm, the show was underway. The meat of the show was various improv games based on themes suggested by the audience. Laced with innuendo and ample toilet humour, the games played quite well with the audience. 

Memorable scenes included a Secret Service member and their evil twin overseeing the US President’s ice-skating hobby, a Halloween-themed love song about a vampire, and a prospective band member accidentally joining a polycule — for the third time this week!

Framing the improv games was the tale of the “Comedy Killer,” which featured a substantial number of cast members — alongside a variety of scripted scenes. These included two musical dance numbers, a lackadaisical police investigation, a handful of murders perpetrated by a scream mask-wearing villain, a murderous womanizing clown, a blood-ritual to save the town, and a news anchor covering it all.

Standout actors included Yvette Chester, Suki Chowdhury, Ness Schattman, Edward Kennedy, and Chaudhry herself. Chester’s self-absorbed attitude and flamboyant gestures perfectly sold the character of a preening news anchor. Chowdhury’s performance in the parodic “white boy rap” musical number received some of the most applause of the most scripted segments of the show. 

Schattman’s performance as an emotionally disturbed fish in an aquarium that needs to be urinated on to live was above and beyond. Kennedy’s performance as the killer was, for a comedy, surprisingly creepy, as he lumbered onto the stage and towered far above his victims before stalking off behind the curtains. 

Finally, Chaudhry’s performance in an improv scene where she progressively took on the role of all four members of the scene, including both parties of a divorced couple, their child, and the child’s bully, was one of the most impressive to watch. She additionally had the challenge of playing the main plot’s most straight-laced character: the only resident of Scarsboro who takes the killings seriously.

The UTSC Improv Club has been preparing for this show since October. While the club puts on shows containing both improv and sketches every January, this is the first show the club has attempted which features a plot that runs throughout the entire performance. 

The long-form plot was an unusual addition to the short-form improv game format the show employed, which, in my experience, normally involves only disconnected scenes. In Comedy Killer’s case, the scripted plot was a strong success, which provided a throughline to the production and left a memorable impression because of its uniqueness. 

Because Comedy Killer was about a group of improv performers, the improv games were diegetically justified and thus did not feel jarring. The script’s success at mixing both scripted and improvised comedic elements with the horror of the murders was impressive.

“Throughout the UTSC’s history, there have been different variations of an improv… club,” Chaudhry said. “This version, though, UTSC Improv, was founded by me a couple of years ago.” She continued to explain how she had co-founded the club with Sushani Mahindru (Secretary) and Yabsira Malyon (Vice-President) after a return to in-person events since the pandemic. 

With her upcoming graduation, Comedy Killer was the last UTSC Improv production Chaudhry participated in. However, she, Mahindru, and Adgu will be handing over the reins to the club’s senior members. Chaudhry is confident they are prepared to take the club on and “can’t wait to see what they create.”