INFINITE JEFF
Little Andromeda, corner of Gloucester St and Colombo St, Christchurch
08/10/2019 - 09/10/2019
Production Details
Comedian is Beside Himself
Doing an hour-long solo show is a daunting task for any performer; fortunately Jeff Clark is bringing himself along for the ride.
INFINITE JEFF is a comedic exploration of “all the Jeffs there could have been” as Clark incorporates stand-up, sketch and improvisation to embark on a one-man quest through the multiverse. Jeff plays a range of characters based on himself – if he had made different choices along the way.
“We have Jeff the Marketing Guy, Jeff the successful author as well as a Jeff who learned to play the piano,” says Clark. “Everyone always wonders ‘what if?’ – I’m particularly bad at second-guessing myself – so it seemed like a fun concept to use for the show.”
Clark has worked hard to keep an “organic, improvised feel” to INFINITE JEFF. “Improv is where I come from and I want a show that keeps that connection with the audience.” To that end, “a good chunk of the show involves the ‘Wheel of Jeffs’, where the characters are chosen completely at random and can include Jeffs suggested by the audience.”
As the opening of the show at Little Andromeda looms on October 8, Clark’s penchant for second-guessing has come into full force. “Every day I swing wildly between ‘this is going to be a total trainwreck’ and ‘this is going to be heaps of fun’,” he says. “Either way it will be entertaining.”
Infinite Jeff
Little Andromeda, 130 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch CBD
7pm, 8 & 9 October 2019
Cost: Tickets $10 / $15
Bookings: http://littleandromeda.co.nz/
https://www.facebook.com/JeffClarkPerformer
Jeff Clark regularly works around Christchurch and as a stand-up comedian, actor, director and writer. He performed as “Gary Starlight” for the inaugural 2018 Little Andromeda season as well as several stints at Bread and Circus: World Buskers Festival (most recently this year); and has entertained kids as “The Story Vending Machine” for KidsFest and several events for young people over the past few years. Jeff has featured at festivals around the country including the Nelson and Dunedin Fringe, Nelson Jazz Festival and Cavell Leitch International Jazz & Blues Festival.
Jeff has been a member of the The Court Theatre’s improvisation troupe, The Court Jesters, since 1996 and performs regularly in NZ’s longest-running improvised comedy show Scared Scriptless. He has trained with legendary improvisers Shawn Kinley, Patti Stiles and Michael Robinson as well as the inventor of Theatresports, Keith Johnstone. This year Jeff was a member of the Court Jesters’ team that won the National Theatresports Championships in Palmerston North.
As a writer, Jeff’s first full-length scripted play, …POE was staged at The Court Theatre in 2009.
Jeff also wrote The Princess and the Frog (and the Robber!) which was staged at The Court this year.
Theatre ,
Clever and good-natured
Review by Erin Harrington 10th Oct 2019
In the one-hour comedy show Infinite Jeff, comedian and improviser Jeff Clark engages in some metaphysical navel-gazing: what are some of the lives he might have lived, should his circumstances and choices have played out in different ways? Would each of these infinite multiverse Jeffs be happier or more successful? Is it worth being anxious over all the Jeffs that could have been?
The format of the show combines stand up, discussion with the audience and improvised sequences, and the latter in particular play to Clark’s considerable strengths and talents. With the help of the tech crew, Jeff spins the (digital) Wheel of Jeffs, projected at the back of the stage. This offers up a randomised collection of personae that draw from pre-prepared material, improvised games and audience suggestions and ask-fors.
In our show we meet, amongst others, Sexy Jeff (louche), Marketing Jeff (a hyped up douchebag), Expert Jeff (authoritative), Single Jeff (low status) and Actor Jeff (pretentious), each of whom riff on Jeff’s past careers, experiences and opportunities. Clark is supported throughout by a tech crew who get a couple of good gags of their own, particularly relating to changes in lighting state.
In general each character works successfully, engaging the warm and appreciative audience in varying ways, although the randomised element, while novel, means that the arc of the show is a little hard to gauge. The most entertaining, for me, is Rapper Jeff, who improvises a clever and high-energy number based on random words that were collected from the audience prior to the show.
It’s a neat format for a show and a great proof of concept with clear room for further development, especially as Clark figures out the potential of each of his randomised Jeffs. There are bits that could really be milked further or tightened up, such as Clark’s frequent costume changes, in which he (somewhat) ‘reinvents’ himself. I also wonder if it’s worth rigging the randomisation or narrative a little so that a satisfying character like Rapper Jeff can take us out on a high. This is especially the case as Clark wraps up the show with a heartfelt and unexpected song that outlines how all his varied choices have led him to current happiness.
The resulting show is clever and good-natured, and plays creatively with the notion of self-determination and chance. The resolution suggests that in a world of multiple possibilities, just being the best you can under your given circumstances is probably good enough – even though a throwaway mention of a potential future Robot Jeff indicates that maybe happiness can come in multiple unexpected forms.
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