THE NIGHT STUFF
The talented Loose Screws deserve a better space

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

Loose Screws members, from left, Robb Bonnell, Garrick Paikai, Kelly Williams and Tony Pisculli work their way through an improv game at All Star Hawaii. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser What: "Loose Screws All Stars!" Where: All Star Hawaii, 2080 Kalakaua Ave., 955-8326 When: 8 p.m. Saturday Cover: $10 Under 21 OK?: Yes Age of crowd: 20s and 30s The dress: Casual; no dress code Attire we saw: For men, solid-color T-shirts and dress shirts with jeans or slacks. For women, T-shirts and blouse tops with jeans; some dresses; also for both sexes, resort wear Our arrival/departure: 8 p.m./9:30 p.m. What we drank: Whiskey sour ($5), lava flow ($5) How crowded was it?: About 40 ... the room was just more than three-quarters full. STuff To Bring: A brain full of pop-culture bric-a-brac (movie lines, celebrities ripe for skewing, your favorite Shakespearean play) Interior in a nutshell: Paddler chic You gotta see this: Shakespeare, kabuki stlyle Overheard line of the night: HE: "It doesn't look so hard. I could do this." SHE: "Yeah, right."

An intelligent and enthusiastic audience steeped in pop-culture minutiae is almost essential for an improv troupe to properly shine at cabaret-style improv. Thankfully, the crowd on a recent Saturday was full of inventive suggestions for the Screws to work into its menu of loosely organized games.

Screws members Tony Pisculli, Robb Bonnell, Kelly Williams and Garrick Paikai eagerly absorbed suggestions as disparate as meteors, Ted Danson, incontinence, E.T., "Animal House" and "Coyote Ugly," instantly turning them into grist for mini-comedic gems via games like "Complaint Department," "Who Wants To Marry A Jerk?" and "Game-O-Matic."

They were occasionally too stumped to immediately react to more obscure audience contributions (Paikai, bless him, gamely tried his best to embody the supremely bland guise of Ted Danson), but it was still fun to watch individual members twist, turn and giggle at their own struggles.

The evening's highlight was "Kabuki Shakespeare," in which Pisculli and Bonnell matched up the aesthetics of the stylized Japanese theater form with an audience member's suggestion of the balcony scene from "Romeo and Juliet." Bonnell, in particular, was terrific at invoking kabuki's exaggerated body movements and slo-mo sing-song vocal delivery to make his Juliet a laugh-out-loud riot.

Sadly, the so-called "Surf Room" where the group performed was less inspiring. Essentially a side banquet room with a paddling theme, the interior was dominated by canoes tethered to the ceiling, and memorabilia encased in glass along the walls. Nice enough for the office Christmas party, but less than adequate as a performance space.

Particularly annoying was the room's bright overhead lighting. The Screws' efforts would have been better served had a few spotlights been placed on the quartet and the house lights dimmed to place visual focus squarely on the group.

Lacking proper lighting or even a low portable stage, Loose Screws probably looked to passers-by like the hired entertainment at someone's yakudoshi. The group deserved better.

With All Star Hawaii about to renovate the Surf Room (we hope they'll include a better performance space), this weekend's Loose Screws gig will be the group's final regular performance at the Waikiki restaurant/bar for now.

Pisculli said the group may return to regular performances in the fall after clearing up a few larger Screws projects.

We can't wait.

Got a night spot or regular club event you'd like us to check out? Reach Derek Paiva at 525-8005 or dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.