by Nour Chahboun
Nitrous Oxide, North’s sketch comedy troupe, entertained audiences with raw, humorous sketches. The show will run tonight through Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Little Theatre.
Nitrous Oxide demonstrated talented students’ ability to write and perform the amusing sketches.
The show opened with seniors Julia Ansolabehere and Jackson Bunis, both directors, presenting themselves as the hosts of the Oxy Awards. As cast members made their way onstage in pairs, Ansolabehere and Bunis asked about the designer each character was wearing. The theme of the show was an awards night, with each sketch being a nomination for awards distributed later in the performance.
In one witty sketch, a classroom teacher, played by Ansolabehere, reveals that she is one of the students’ biological mother. The student, played by senior Aaron Schwartz, overwhelmed by the news, began to sob. The hysterical irony of the woman being both his newly found biological mother, and his teacher, made for a brilliant scene.
Another sketch began with a gathering of girls excited for their friend’s bachelorette party. Some of the invitees ordered a bachelorette entertainer for bride-to-be, played by senior Amanda Kuo. Expecting Channing Tatum dressed as a cop, the girls opened the door to a strange man in a clown costume. As they stood in shock, he proceeded to perform numerous magic tricks. The ludicrous plot constructed a hilarious, enjoyable sketch.
One of the funniest skits featured a rambunctious teenager, played by junior Natalie Cotter, and an old-school grandmother, played by Ansolabehere. In a tight car, the grandmother quickly got aggravated when the teenager blasted “Hotline Bling,” calling it loud and disruptive. The clash of personas created a hilarious contrast. Once the song ended, a “Seniors Bop”—a parody of “Kidz Bop”—commercial played. This priceless album included senior parodies of mainstream hits like “Anaconda” and “Get low”. The sketch represented a common relationship and was all too relatable to the audience.
The show ended with the cast members realizing the Oxy awards were fake, and that there were no awards to distribute. Everyone was angered, so the directors announced that the best sketch comedy troupe was North’s improv troupe, Spontaneous Generation. The cast members’ helpless exasperation produced an uproarious end.
Nitrous Oxide was a lively, light-spirited show, with its clever scripts, cheerful energy, and brilliant acting.
Tickets cost $7 and are sold on Theatre Ink’s website and during all lunches.
Nitrous Oxide’s Promotion Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZEGcdIGxi0&feature=youtu.be