Red Bank Theater Watch: Improv, In This House, Eastern European Music

Red Bank's playing host to an eclectic mix of entertainment options at both the and the this week, including improv comedy, the sound stylings of Eastern Europe, the jams of the 1980's, and a homegrown musical developed in a TRTC workshop.

You know Whose Line is it Anyway? The short form improvisational television comedy originated in England before eventually finding its way to the United States where it ran for eight seasons. For the eighth time Friday, stars of the show are bringing the same style of comedy to Basie stage.

Promising plenty of laughs but with none of the script, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, Whose Line show regulars, are presenting a night of completely improvised comedy. Armed with only their wit and suggestions from the Basie audience, the show promises not only to be funny, but spontaneous and original, too. Audience members are even asked to come on stage and participate at times.

Saturday night is dedicated to 1980's jams as FREESTYLEPALOOZA hits the Basie stage. DJ's will be spinning more than a dozen tracks from a variety of artists who have made their name under the freestyle tag. 

Into music from Eastern Europe? You're in luck. Sunday afternoon at the Basie, Metropolitan Klezmer takes the stage to perform a variety of styles born out of Yiddish history and cultural tradition.

Klezmer was originally a Jewish genre of music performed in celebrations that consisted of dance and instrumental tunes. Over the last 100 years or so, the term has grown to include elements of jazz, folk, Turkish and Arabic-tinged traditionals, Hungarians prayer melodies, labor protest hymns, and other styles of music.

Featuring eight players, many of them multi-instrumentalists, Klezmer has earned rave reviews for their recorded music and have even appeared on television on CNN.

At the Two River Theater, In This House continues its run with eight shows in just five days.

The musical centers on two couples, one young, one older, both facing unique struggles meeting by chance and spending the night together in a deserted house on New Year's Eve. In This House, an intimate new musical developed over the past year through a workshop and writers' retreat at Two River Theater, is currently playing in the Marion Huber Theater.

The musical focuses on the universal experience of being loved and being in love, as well as the challenges people must go through in order to navigate their relationships, is explored in the musical.

Check out countbasietheatre.org and trtc.org for relevant pricing, seating and how to purchase tickets.

At Count Basie:

Colin Mochrie & Brad Sherwood: The Two Man Group - Friday, March 16 at 8 p.m.

FREESTYLEPALOOZA - Saturday, March 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Metropolitan Klezmer - Sunday, March 18 at 4 p.m.

At Two River Theater:

In This House - Wednesday through Sunday, show times vary.