COMING SOON: Editorial commentary on The Real Slim Caesar by Improv Shakespeare at the Largo at the Coronet will be added in the near future. For now, this entry documents my attendance (4/11/2026) and basic information.
For Improv Shakespeare productions, I like to write full recaps of the plots from my notes, and then perform thorough literary analysis on the finished piece as if it were a real, legitimate Shakespearean work. You can see examples here and here. Due to this, my reviews of these shows can take a little longer to generate.
Full Cast & Context
The Improvised Shakespeare Company creates a fully improvised Shakespearean “masterpiece” right before your very eyes, based on whatever catches their ears at the beginning when the audience shouts out title suggestions of plays that have never existed. Nothing is planned, rehearsed, or written. All of the dialogue is said for the first and last time, the characters are created as you watch, and as they joke: “if you’re ever wondering where the story is going… so are they!”
“Tonight you are about to witness the world premiere, opening night, of … [TITLE]. By coincidence, you are also about to witness the final showing of [TITLE]!”
The company began in Chicago in 2005, and regularly tour around the globe, piling on the accolades and awards as they do so.
The Improvised Shakespeare Co. sometimes changes out a member here and there, but tonight was the usual crew that I’m used to seeing:
- Blaine Swen (founder & director, also named the “Best Improviser in Chicago” in 2010)
- Joey Bland (also a two-time Jeopardy champion)
- Ross Bryant (also a writer for Mystery Science Theater 3000)
- Brendan Dowling (also a writer and actor, including an award-winning short)
- Randall Harr (also a performer at a comedy theater in Amsterdam)
The Largo at the Coronet positions itself as one of LA’s most legendary low-key clubs, and it’s known for comedy, music, and strange productions that don’t happen anywhere else. Largo as a venue started in 1989, and moved into the Coronet Theatre in 2008.
The Coronet Theatre opened in 1947 as a neighborhood movie theater, went through long stretches of decline and disuse, but was finally restored instead of being torn down or turned into an Apple store. It feels old and a little vintage, but mostly in good ways–at least the building itself is a nice space.
I’m already looking forward to my next Improv Shakespeare.
