This review kind of turned into an essay on consistency.

Kicking off the silly season is PopRox‘s latest twist on their beloved format; Janice’s Last Christmas, an improvised office party. With classic festive hijinks and a cast that never misses, PopRox proves again that they’re the most consistent improv troupe in town.

The gimmick of this season is that the audience are all employees from the regional branch of Miramar Pens, a company generated out of an ask-for from the crowd. Here in the city headquarters, the stage is littered with classic office party fare, from a water cooler that might actually be operational, to bags of Bluebird chips scattered across a flimsy table. We’re asked for some awards that determine the traits of the various characters.

It’s not long before we get right into the mix of it. After the aforementioned set-up, scenes begin, with a nice schedule laid out to tell us what to expect from the show. This was a really nice touch. Improv shows generally have a pacing issue in that when everything is made up, scene timing can quickly spiral out of control, but this technique cleanly keeps the festivities on track.

Beyond a Game of Thrones level plot twist near the start, the show is exactly what you’d expect from a PopRox show; a long-form narrative with sexy characters who end up playing a myriad of games. With some clever narrative strings pulled, it’s sometimes hard to tell when the show is being a scene and when it’s being a game. Unless you’ve watched PopRox’s other shows, you may never even notice the transitions. It’s PopRox’s most seamless show yet.

The performers themselves are as good as ever, having honed their skills and chemistry over years of practice together. I think we’ve reached the point in PopRox history where a review like this is honestly kind of redundant.

There’s only so many ways I can write about a PopRox show because… while each one is different, they’re of a remarkably consistent quality. You’ll always be able to count on Austin Harrison to hold the attention long enough for his fellow players to gather their bearings. Mo Munn will always be the loudest and funniest person in the room. There’s guaranteed to be a charming regional kiwi bloke in Dylan Hutton, a demure, bubbly girlie pop in Millie Osborne and a sympathetic emotional anchor in Lia Kelly. Add a Matt Hutton whose quipping and bringing up classic Christmas melodies on the fly and you have a show that’s guaranteed to be good.

But it makes me start to wonder if this consistency is a double-edged sword. It’s no secret that I’ve not been a contributing member of the improv community for some time now. Audience numbers are lower than traditional stand-up. Rehearsals are a nightmare to organise. There’s no certainty in the quality of the shows; it all depends on how the players perform on the day. And yet PopRox manages it anyway.

With a show like PopRox that provides that consistency I supposedly crave, I rarely find myself surprised anymore. I’m always impressed by their skills and wits, but the show is the same as it’s always been. That’s not a bad thing, really. After all, not everyone has gone into four PopRox shows, analysis brain in gear, ready to break down exactly what makes this troupe so successful. I’m not too sure how to feel about it to be honest. On one hand, Wellington needs an improv space that delivers consistently high quality. On the other, it also needs an improv scene that innovates and takes risks.

Obviously, it’s unfair to put the entire burden of the scene on PopRox’s back, and that’s not what I’m trying to say here. I think we need the community to look at PopRox, its prestige, and its consistency and believe that they can do it too. We can’t just sit back and let the good work PopRox does be for naught. They’ve laid such a strong foundation for good improv to have a chance, and we need more professionally-driven companies to build upon it. We need more PopRoxes, more Catfish Trifectas, more improvisors who take themselves seriously if they want the wider community to do the same.

Because one day, we’re going to get bored of consistency. And if we don’t look to the next level of innovation, we’re wasting PopRox’s efforts.

Janice’s Last Christmas is a reminder that Christmas is a time to reflect on yourselves, whilst also being a charming, fun, improvised hour of very relatable situations. It’s another consistent offering in the ever growing catalogue of PopRox scenarios that keep audiences coming back, and smiles beaming. With its smooth transitions between games and scenes, time flies at a breakneck speed until you realised you’ve spent 43 years at the company and you’ve love every minute of it.

Pour one out for Janice.

Disclosure: As a somewhat active member of the Wellington performing arts community, I may be quite familiar with a number of the performers in this show. Having said that, I am not a liar, and there is zero bias in my reviews, shut up.

Also, tickets were provided to me for free by the production. Literally changes nothing, though.