Jessica Tandy holds on to Cagematch title

After winning the crown last week, JESSICA TANDY managed to hold on to the the title by defeating RINTERSPLINT last night at the PHILLY IMPROV THEATER‘s CAGEMATCH.

Now that PHIT is tackling it’s longest run to date at the Shubin, the victory celebrations are much shorter… they are on the chopping block again next week, this time challenged be newcomer PRO B (Emily Davis & Rick Horner). With a couple of shows already under their belt, will this team sweep in to claim the title and bring down Jessica Tandy? Your votes decide…

CAGEMATCH: JESSICA TANDY v PRO B
THURSDAY, OCT. 21ST @ 9:30PM
PHILLY IMPROV THEATER @ THE SHUBIN
407 BAINBRIDGE ST | $10

A new Cagematch champ arises

Last week, newcomer JESSICA TANDY (Jessica Ross & Andy Moskowitz) took down longtime reigning champs, THE ONES YOUR MOMS WARNED YOU ABOUT at PHIT’s CAGEMATCH.

After seeing The Ones toppled after holding on to the title for the better part of the past year, I thought I’d get a bit of insight into how everyone feels about the upset…

J: “I’d say we are definitely proud of our run at the top. The loss stings a bit, especially because we had one of our best performances, but we sure went out fighting.

JESSICA: “It was an awesome night. The Ones really set the bar high and as always put on a great show, they’re one of the best teams in Philly.”

ANDY: “We’re thrilled to be the group to finally take down The Ones, and we’d be lucky to keep our streak going even half as long as they did. We we fresh and new… and with each successive show we will be less fresh and less new, so we know it’s an uphill climb.”

B-LIBS: “As for our run, I personally felt like Julius Caesar: conquering all and then holding massive orgies. So I guess that makes Jessica Tandy Brutus. ‘Et tu, Tandy.’”

JESSICA: “We were just happy to share the stage with an amazing team and debut our work. Andy and I had so much fun performing together and were really proud of our work. Winning was just the icing on the cake.”

ANDY: “I think the most important thing is for us to keep having fun and delighting and surprising each other on stage.”

Finally, THE RICHNE$$ had a final message for their groupies: “Dear Ladies, It was a fun run, but we can’t be tied down right now, girl.  We’ll see you around and all.  Remember, girl, hate the game not the playa!  Most Sinceriously – The Richne$$”

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So there you go, some broken hearts, some high hopes and lots of praise and mutual respect for what were a couple of great shows. For fans of The Ones, despair not, as they’re slated to play PHIF in a couple of weeks.

As for Jessica Tandy, the duo needs to be on their game tonight if they’re going to hold on to their newly won title. They take on another newcomer, RINTERSPLINT (Joe Gates, Matt Akana & Marc Reber), at CAGEMATCH 9:30pm tonight at the Shubin.

CAGEMATCH! JESSICA TANDY v RINTERSPLINT
THURSDAY, OCT. 14TH @ 9:30PM
PHIT AT THE SHUBIN | 407 BAINBRIDGE ST

Tonight the Shubin gets seriously funny

Looking for a solution to that stand-up fix? How about a little healthy competition? Well, tonight the PHILLY IMPROV THEATER has shows at the Shubin for whatever ails you… It all starts at 8PM, as they kick off five consecutive weeks of Aaron Hertzog’s HEY EVERYBODY!

Hertzog has quite a list of comedians on the bill tonight, including Billy Bob Thompson, Darryl Charles, Doogie Horner, John Kensil, Luke Giordano and Meg Favreau!

Tickets are $10, but if you use the password *FRIENDSHIP* at the door, you pay half. Because, hey, that’s the kind of guy Aaron is!

Then at 9:30 – new upstart JESSICA TANDY (Jessica Ross and Andy Moskowitz) look to unseat six time champs THE ONES YOUR MOMS WARNED YOU ABOUT in CAGEMATCH. Currently on an unmatched winning streak, will tonight be the night The Ones fall? Your votes decide!

Current Cagematch Champs: The Ones Your Moms Warned You About

PHILLY IMPROV THEATER @ THE SHUBIN
THURSDAY, OCT. 7TH
8PM – HEY EVERYBODY!
9:30PM – CAGEMATCH
407 BAINBRIDGE ST

Comedian Profile: Andy Moskowitz

Editors Note: In this segment, we step away from the stage and take a look at comedians in the Philadelphia area… Learn a little more about where they come from, what they do while not performing and of course the question we all ask ourselves… Why do we do it?

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ANDY MOSKOWITZ

Might have seen him in: Fletcher, ComedySportz, Pasiónes de Pasiónes

Hangs his hat in: Fairmount

Stomping Grounds: Ardmore, PA

Pays the Bills as: Medical Copywriter

Other Hobbies: Film and film criticism, running, card tricks

Why Improv?

When I was a kid, I hated waiting for stuff. Crowded restaurants, amusement park lines — even the mail — were all torture for my impatient 8-year-old psyche. Hannukah was especially difficult, because the best presents were reserved for the final night. I had to endure seven nights of wax lips & gelt before I got the big one. And every year, my mom would tell me I had to learn to “delay gratification.”

Twenty years later, I’m still a kid and I still hate waiting. Improv is the instant gratification artform. You’re on stage, you get an idea, you spit it out, and the rewards are instantaneous. Improv is the last night of Hannukah. Or a VIP pass to Disney Land. Or the table reserved for the mafia at Buca di Beppo, even on a busy Friday night. See where I’m going with this?

See Andy in these upcoming Fringe Festival shows

Fletcher
9/3, 9/7 & 9/15 @ 8:30PM | 9/10 @ 11:30PM | 9/12 @ 5PM

Pasiónes de Pasiónes
9/5 @ 8:30PM | 9/10 & 9/18 @ 7PM

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If you know someone who you think should be profiled, we’d love to hear about them.

Premiere of Boys Don’t Cry at Studio 34

It’s the third Thursday of the month, and KING FRIDAY will be putting on their monthly show at Studio 34. Tonight their guest is the premiere of the new duo, BOYS DON’T CRY, featuring ANDY MOSKOWITZ and TODD SHAEFFER, directed by MATT HOLMES. We took a moment to chat with the boys and their director about this new partnership and what we can expect.

How did this come about?

We were waiting in line to see Where the Wild Things Are and sparked up a conversation about (our) mutual love of improvisation.

And this is the first time you’ve worked together?

Yep, n00bz!

So what are your thoughts on joining forces?

Should be interesting. We have grown a lot as actors and performers working together. Slowly getting our groove and creating some magical stuff.

magic in a bottle

What’s the premise?

Two dudes, doing the ‘prov. (The show is) still searching for its niche.

What can we expect tonight?

We are still in our incubator… not trying to do anything crazy. But you can expect some pure emotion and a lot of fun discovery.

Any thoughts on the future of the show?

Future hasn’t been written yet. No ones has. Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one. We’re giving it a shot… getting the show on the road… and we’ll see where it goes.

KING FRIDAY W/ BOYS DON’T CRY
THURSDAY, JULY 15TH @ 10PM
STUDIO 34 | 4522 BALTIMORE AVE
PAY WHAT YOU CAN

Tonight: Troika Grand Finale

It’s been a hard-fought season with some incredibly tight competition, but tonight the stakes have never been higher. 27 improvisers have stepped up on stage to put it all on the line, and now the winners from each round vie for the crown. It’s Librarians vs State Witnesses vs Spanish Soap Stars – and only one trio will be called TROIKA.

R1 Winner: Meadowbrook Public Library Storybook Players
(Alan Williams, Amie Roe, Thomas Whitaker)

R2 Winner: Confidential
(N1ck G1lle77e, D@n R1ch, J@k3 B3ck3rm@n)

R3 Winner: Pasiónes de Pasiónes
(Mike Marbach, Ralph Andracchio, Andy Moskowitz )

TROIKA: GRAND FINALE
THU, MAY 6TH @ 9:30PM
PHIT @ THE SHUBIN | 407 BAINBRIDGE
$10 | BYOB

Advanced tickets available through the PHIT website.

Troikapalooza: Round 3 plus The Ones

Tonight’s Round 3 show will decide the last slot in the Troika Finale. Having already staked their claim are the Meadowbrook Public Library Storybook Players and Confidential. One last team will win tonight and earn a shot at being named 2010 champs. Your groups include:

- DECONSTRUCTING STEVE feat. Jessica Snow, Jason Grimley & Rich Keller
- THE SELF-LOVE VIDEO PODCAST feat. Gillienne Nadeau, Claire Halberstadt & Jake Alvarez
- PASIONES DE PASIONES feat. Andy Moskowitz, Ralph Andracchio & Mike Marbach

The show begins at 9:30PM, and after the performances, the audience decides the winner via ballot.

Then you’ll want to stick around for a special treat. 2008 Troika faves and current Cagematch champs J, B-Libs and the Richness aka THE ONES YOUR MOMS WARNED YOU ABOUT will be doing a special FREE show at 11PM.

It’s a night of Troika past & present, and you decide the future!

TROIKAPALOOZA

TROIKA ROUND THREE – 9:30PM ($10)
THE ONES… – 11:00PM (FREE)
THURSDAY, APR 29TH
PHIT @ THE SHUBIN | 407 BAINBRIDGE

Have you met the CSz Rookies yet?

Well perhaps it’s time.

ComedySportz Philly welcomes Olwyn Conway, Noah Herman, Aime Kelly, Andy Moskowitz, Joe Sabatino and Casey Thomasson.