At least for the time being, this coming Saturday evening will be the last performance of the current incarnation of 200 Funny Things.
The cast has been great and the show has definitely grown since we previewed in January. It's not an easy thing to keep a show evolving after it opens but this cast has done an incredible job of keeping the experiment fresh in each and every performance.
One thing I find interesting is how doing 200 Funny Things has changed the cast's perception of acting and their own capabilities as performers. No one has reported any negative effects from the rather extreme approach used in developing and performing the show. In fact, it has been quite the opposite. It's opened up their work in unexpected ways. They're more comfortable in auditions. They feel freer and more responsive to whatever the audition throws at them. Several of the cast have been performing in other shows during the run of 200. Those working in improv shows at IO definitely feel that the IO process and the 200 Funny Things process feed each other helping to bring more spontaneity into the work. Others of the cast working in scripted shows have reported that they feel working on 200 has expanded their ability to develop roles in these more traditional productions.
Doing 200 Funny Things demands a lot from an actor. Since so much of the show is totally new each performance, doing 200 is kind of like acting without a net. This cast has walked that high wire flawlessly. I can't thank them enough.