MIDDLEDITCH AND SCHWARTZ

A completely improvised two person show.

Are you missing your improv fix while social distancing? All of us at Boom Chicago can safely say that we are…

But worry not, for Netflix is coming to the rescue. On April 21st the streaming service is releasing three improvised specials from Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz, entitled Middleditch and Schwartz (how did they come up with that title?!).

Middleditch and Schwartz are two of the funniest improvisers around, veterans of iO and The Second City (Middleditch) and Upright Citizen’s Brigade (Schwartz), and also with some impressive screen credits. Thomas Middleditch has been Emmy nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his role in HBO’s Silicon Valley. Meanwhile, Ben Schwartz was a recurring guest star on the critically acclaimed sitcom Parks and Recreation, and recently voiced the title character in the hit movie Sonic the Hedgehog.

It’s a rare outing for long form improv on the small screen. While short form has a long TV history, through shows such as Whose Line is It Anyway?, long form has been harder to come by.

We’re not sure why – because it’s an improv artform that is close to heart of Boom Chicago, where an entire show is created from just one suggestion. Our Sunday Night Live show features an hour of long form, and we teach classes in the style to the students of the Boom Academy – which, in turn, has produced our very first Harold team, Grover, who perform as part of Sunday Night Live.

So we’re excited that Netflix has decided to put long form on the small screen and, in the hands of these two exceptional comic talents, we’re optimistic that the specials will live up to their tagline – “Unscripted. Unpredictable. Unbelievable”, as well as being downright hilarious.

by Simon Lukacs Simon Lukacs has made his great escape from Brexit Britain to join our cast in booming Amsterdam. He has been improvising for 7 years, and has performed with some of the best improvisers in the UK and beyond. He trained with The Second City, The Free Association, Monkey Toast and The Spontaneity Shop. He has taught improv for The Free Association, one of London’s premier improv schools/ theaters. As a character comedian, Simon has taken two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He has written for ITN in the UK, and appeared alongside critically acclaimed sketch act Massive Dad for BBC3.