The improv troupe, 901 Innovation brought a new twist to the season with their 1st holiday show, “Taking On The Holidays” at The Producer’s Club in Manhattan’s Theatre District.
901 Innovation is less than a year old and led by seasoned improv professional and founder Michael Glatt, founded with core players that have a 20-year history. The group has become an oasis for adults of all ages to socialize, have fun, and find reprieve from the often difficult return to the social demands of a post-COVID world. “It’s better than therapy, it’s 3 hours I don’t have to be myself,” shares troupe-member Kiki T. In addition to classes, jams, and live performances, 901 Innovation also offers “Quirkshops,” custom-designed innovation focused workshops for organizations, corporations, and teams, as well as “Vimprov” for remote play.
901 Innovation’s holiday show kicked off with a buzzing atmosphere. In a sold out, standing room only crowd, the theater also had libations flowing, with drinks from The Producer’s Club’s in-house bar. Troupe members passed around slips of paper and pens with prompts like “What’s an unexpected gift that a child would absolutely LOVE?” and “What are some new year’s resolutions?” and added them to a hat for the performers to reference later.
You see, 901 Innovation isn’t like your roommate’s boring show you reluctantly go to once a month for moral support—the skits rely on full-audience participation and the host Michael Glatt engages the audience throughout. Other skits included Santa’s Workshop Orchestra, where typical children’s toys were given unique personalities (think a rocking horse begging “Someone sit on me! Sit on me!”), a Q&A session with The Rockettes a.k.a. three eccentric middle-aged men sharing the diet and workout routine that shot them into Radio City fame, and an imagined bus ride filled with zany Christmas dinner characters of the audience’s choosing—you better believe the creepy uncle you don’t like hugging was on that bus. Overall, “Taking On The Holidays” was a night of genuine laugh-out-loud moments, original thinking, and plenty of camaraderie.
If you are interested in joining 901 Innovation, the group is on MeetUp, where they offer completely free drop-in classes and jams approximately once per month. If watching is more your thing, 901 Innovation Players’ next performance is February 9th, their Valentine show, 8 P.M. at The Producer’s Club (358 w.44th St.). Have fun laughing!
