On Wednesday night I decided to visit Theatre 99 on Meeting St. for their 8pm Laugh for a Lincoln show.  Last night, the popular improv theatre featured three separate groups each presenting about 45 minute long shows in their own way. Each group started with some sort of inspiration for their skits that would then be performed afterward, connecting back to the inspiration they received from the audience at the beginning.  Two of the groups simply asked for a word or phrase from the audience, and one group brought an actual audience member up on stage, asked her questions about her life, and then performed a series of mini scenes based off of her answers.  A couple of the groups were a little slow to get people laughing because they were speaking quietly and for those of us in the back, we had a hard time hearing their jokes.  I was excited to discover that in the second act, the group Full Love Throttle brought out a special guest, Frank Caeti,  visiting from Los Angeles.  It definitely kept the show exciting and he was hilarious and clearly experienced in the realm of improv.

I was pleased to find that almost every single seat in the house was filled by the beginning of the show despite their lack of intense advertising.  The show cost only five dollars, explained by the title, Laugh for a Lincoln, however they only accepted cash.  I tried to go to the show once before, but I was unaware of the cash-only policy, and their ATM located in the lobby was out of service so I decided to go back another day.  The nearest ATM is about a ten minute walk away and for some that might mean missing the beginning of the show, or deciding against going completely.  Understandably, credit card machines and fees can be costly but I would suggest at least advertising on their website the cash-only policy.  I would suggest that others should visit Theatre 99 because they have smooth transitions and are professional in the sense that they know what they’re doing and how to get their target audience.