Theatresports Cranston Cup Grand Final 2013

Theatresports is an enduring form of entertainment on Sydney's performance calendar. In a fickle market it is a unique beast which has forwarded the careers of many of Australia's top talent - think Andrew Denton, Andrew O'Keefe, Julia Zemiro and The Axis of Awesome just to name a few.

There are many seasons of impro dotted throughout the year that usually take place at The Roxbury Hotel in Glebe, but it is the yearly Cranston Cup that really captures the publics attention. One of the attractions I suspect is its familiar sporting structure. There are teams, heats, semi-finals and of course the Grand Final which takes place annually on The Enmore Theatre stage.

Over the past 17 years I have been an avid watcher of Theatresports, at one point I even tried my hand at it only to realise that I fare much better with a script or an auto-cue. So over the years I have watched my friends with much admiration and many times giggled my way joyfully through a highly entertaining evening.

However, it is true to say there are some Grand Finals that are better than others. And the 2013 Cranston Cup Grand Final is a case in point. The 50th anniversary of Dr Who was the perfect template for this event and director Marko Mustac put a clever and fresh stamp on his rendition of this tradition. It also helped that he had at his disposal a ready-made improviser such as Jim Fishwick, who as the Doctor looked like he stepped straight out of central casting. The clever improvised music and Dalek voice from Bryce Halliday also added to the experience, as did the simple set which included a Tardis.

This year there was also the opportunity for newbies on the scene to get main-stage experience in the 'Fresh Grand Finalists' which went head to head first and then gave over the stage to the more seasoned teams - all of which deserved to be there.

But it was the full body lycra suited Hans & Otto (Edan Lacey & Nick O'Donnell) who looked like a speed skating team that stole the show with their off-beat and kooky sense of humour - they truly were hilarious.

So if you missed the Cranston Cup this year, mark your calendar now because as Carl Reiner says, "A brilliant mind in panic is a wonderful thing to see."

Whitney Fitzsimmons

Images: Cranston Cup winners Hans & Otto hold the trophy aloft & Jim Fishwick. Photographer: Stephen Reinhardt.