Everywhere Indeed

Scott Hardie | June 7, 2011
Am I the only person getting tired of Improv Everywhere? Their latest "mission" is Mute Button, in which -- get this -- strangers in the park suddenly go silent, and everyone not in on the gag stands there mystified! This is totally unlike every other project they've made for years now! Maybe for their next mission, strangers in an airport can suddenly all do handstands and start yodeling, while everyone not in on the gag stands there mystified. Or maybe, strangers in a shopping mall can suddenly break into a conga line and try to enlist passersby, while everyone not in one the gag stands there mystified. Bet you've never seen anything like that before!

I find the videos entertaining, sure. Everyone involved is good, and they put on a fun show. But the whole idea is wearing pretty thin, isn't it? Once you know the concept of the mission, is there a moment in the video that isn't predictable? Maybe they need to do more of them that have a satirical point to make, or something else that gives the missions a little more meaning, because it seems like they're just spinning their wheels like this. Still, the videos remain so popular that I wonder if I'm alone in feeling this way.