Chicago Improv All-Stars To Rock Shanghai In December

Shanghai, China (November 16, 2007) /China Newswire/ — Music and comedy improvisation troupe from Chicago to leave audiences in stitches in Shanghai

Chicago based improvisational comedy troupe the Chicago Improv All-Stars, presented by premiere musical improvisation theatre company Baby Wants Candy and ChopSchticks, will bring bust-your-guts hilarity to Henry’s Brewery & Grill on Sichuan Lu in Shanghai on Thursday Dec 6th and Friday Dec 7th.

Founded in Chicago in 1997, the Improv All-Stars have performed over 1,400 completely improvised shows, mostly centered around a musical element, to sold-out crowds from Singapore to Edinburgh.

The troupe has gotten FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and has become a talent pool of some of the nation's strongest musical and comedic talent and has featured performers like Stephanie Weir and Nicole Parker (MadTV), Rachel Dratch and Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), Al Samuels and Kevin Fleming (Sports Action Team) and Peter Gwinn (Colbert Report).

The Improv All-Stars' on-the-spot improvised comedic and musical sketches have won it critical praise from around the globe:

TimeOut New York has awarded the show the Best Visiting Comedy Show.

The Scotsman crooned: "They are an entertainment phenomenon and I am in awe of their talent."

The Chicago Sun times calls them "consistently funny and crowd pleasing"

Buzzfocus.com wrote: "This gathering of comedic geniuses is the one improv show you want to see before you die."

Improvisers Joshua Funk, Nyima Funk, Al Samuels and Niki Lindgren will perform in Beijing.

CAST BIOS

Joshua Funk is currently an actor on MTV's Wild n' Out with Nick Cannon and a member of improvisational super-group Baby Wants Candy, with whom he's toured all over the world – from Singapore to Edinburgh. He received his B.F.A. in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan and shortly after became one of the founding members of The Second City Detroit touring company. He won The Joseph Jefferson Awards for "Best Director" for Holy War Batman, and "Best Production" for Pants On Fire.

Nyima Funk is a performer on NBC's Thank God You're Here and MTV's Wild 'N Out with Nick Cannon. She regularly performs in Los Angeles with Baby Wants Candy's Los Angeles branch, and is an Alumnus of The Second City Chicago Mainstage.

Niki Lindgren is of Chinese descent and is a member of Baby Wants Candy and the e.t.c. Stage at The Second City. Niki has appeared on ER and co-stars on the NBC Comedy Sports Action Team with Albert Samuels.

Albert Samuels is returning to Asia for his fifth comedy tour. He is a founding member of Baby Wants Candy, and currently stars on the NBC comedy Sports Action Team, which he co-created. After business school, Samuels founded Spark Creative to bring creative skills and entertainment to corporations around the world. He performed with the Second City Touring Company and Second City Mainstage, where he co-wrote and performed in the revues Thank Heaven it Wasn't 7/11 and No, Seriously, We're All Gonna Die. He also appeared in the Will Ferrell film Stranger than Fiction.

When: Two great shows–each show is unique!
Thu, Dec 6th at 8:00pm
Fri, Dec 7th at 8:00pm

Where: Henry's Brewery & Grill
No.33 Middle SiChuan Rd. 1/F

How: Tickets 220RMB in advance (up to Tue, Dec 4th), 280RMB at the door