A tricycle with an actual third wheel, for reference.

Staff Writer Henry Golub braved fierce Friday winds to watch Third Wheel Improv perform in John Jay. He brought cough drops, tissues, and hot water to keep his tuberculosis-like cold under wraps.

The nine members of the troupe (I think that they were missing one) stood in a line facing the audience and took turns making off-the-cuff jokes. They used open-ended skits to steer the humor in a general direction and took cues from the audience. When a skit felt repetitive, a lead member rushed forward and announced a new one. The formula worked.

Ice dancing is like figure skating, but less impressive.

My favorite skit was a game called “Sex with Me is Like.” In that skit, the crowd yelled out words ending in -ing and the troupe used those words to complete the phrase “sex with me is like.” A highlight: “Sex with me is like ice dancing; I make you wear a leotard.”

In another skit, the group interviewed a member of the audience and used his responses as material for improvised scenes. For instance, the interviewee mentioned that he has been to EC a few times. The troupe later turned that into a whole act about a run-in with Public Safety.

Not every joke landed, but I heard enough funny lines that I never minded. Occasionally skits dragged on for too long, but the troupe leaders would always notice and respond by switching the act.

Still have the cold though.

Despite this intermittent staleness, I thoroughly enjoyed Third Wheel’s show and highly recommend that you all enjoy some of the group’s improv when you have a chance.

If you missed the show, don’t fret – Third Wheel will host troupes from other schools in November at the organization’s annual “Spare Tires Improv Festival.” You can also find the group’s other events on its Facebook page.

Tricycle via Wikimedia Commons

Ice Dancing via Pixabay

Cough Drops via Wikimedia Commons