holding court
Here's another escapade from Improv Everywhere - the group I wrote about a couple weeks ago who staged the computer stunt in a New York Starbucks. This one was in LA - and my favorite thing about it is that it is so LA. Anyone who's lived here knows that almost everyone here is a wanna-be actor/singer/dancer - and they are almost always "on" and doing whatever it takes to get the spotlight at all times and all places (a phenomenon I first learned in art school as a friend pointed out "oh, they're performing arts majors" - after a while I learned what that meant). That phenomenon is brilliantly personified in this Improv Everywhere stunt called "Food Court Musical." In a rare departure from their normal m.o., they got permission from the mall ahead of time for this one, though other food court vendors were kept in the dark about the plan. This allowed them to tap into the mall's PA system for their microphones & music as well as to set up hidden cameras and mirrors for taping. For the mission, like in a musical, one of the food court vendors just breaks out in song without warning. Soon, someone eating nearby joins in. Then someone else. People are baffled at what's going on as the participants grow, all in typically cheesy musical-style song and dance. Man, I would have killed to have been there for this one. Check out their page for the video - (their video player system is pretty fussy, so if you have problems with it, theres a link on it to the YouTube version as well).