Cake Mama, why are you making us do algebra on a Wednesday? Oh you silly gooses, X PLUS ONE isn’t math, it’s New York City’s finest (and only!) made-up 1940s science fiction/comedy radio show featuring a rotating all-star cast of NYC-based improvisers. The show enjoyed a four-year run at The Peoples Improv Theater and ventured outside NY for Philadelphia’s We The People Improv Festival and Austin’s Out of Bounds Comedy Festival. Now they’re ready take 2019 out of this world with a six-month engagement at Caveat which starts THIS very eve (9:30pm to be exact) featuring LUIS FERNANDEZ, MATT GIROVEANU, GEOFF GRIMWOOD, AUSTIN SANDERS, JEFF SCHERER, RACHEL SCHERER, directed by KEVIN LAIBSON, and with DAVID ARMSTRONG on announcements, Foley, and music direction! We had the privilege of interrupting this fast-moving radio play train just long enough to ask them questions about the run. We suggest you check out the show TONIGHT for new electrifying adventures created on the spot. Expect “live Foley and accompaniment, incredible musical guests, and improvised commercials for products from X Plus One’ s mysterious sponsor, B. Gardener Johnson.” Yes, we asked about the enigmatic sponsor. Enjoy!
CAKE: How would you describe the show for us mere Earthlings?
X PLUS ONE: Imagine it’s 1940, and you’ve scored a seat in the studio audience for the live broadcast of America’s favorite science-fiction/comedy radio show. There’s a three-act story, a musical guest, commercials, and sound effects, but it’s all made up on the spot based on audience suggestions. And it’s all filtered through the style of the time, with a retrofuturist view of progress and buckets of American “can-do” spirit.
CAKE: What’s the preparation like for each performance?
X PLUS ONE:Backstage, you can find us getting into our monkey suits, listening to old radio shows and slipping into character. To share a little X Plus One secret we’ve never told anyone before, our favorite game is making up vintage slang by pairing a random city with a noun, preferably a dance move. “Say, how would you like a Pasadena Windsock?” “He was doin’ the ol’ Toledo Two-Step, if you know what I mean.”
CAKE: Any hints on what you have in store for the six-month run at Caveat?
X PLUS ONE: We can’t reveal too much — it would destroy the human mind! — but along with the usual contained chaos, we’ll be adding some new surprises to the format and plenty of guest stars! Plus, one or more of our characters will be probably be arrested for attending a socialist meeting.
CAKE: What’s your favorite part of performing at this venue?
X PLUS ONE: We’ve been blown away by Caveat’s audiences, the amazing staff, and the intimacy of the room. Caveat has an almost secluded feel, like being in a mad scientist’s speakeasy, which is a great fit for us. Plus, we’re all nerds in our own right, and we love Caveat’s commitment to promoting the joys of science, even if our entire show is about 1940s actors who have absolutely no idea how science works.
CAKE: What radio shows from the past are you inspired by?
X PLUS ONE: There are so many! We’re named after X Minus One, and we also love Dimension X, 2000 Plus, Journey Into Space, War of the Worlds and the Orson Welles era of programming, Flash Gordon, The Shadow, and The Abbott and Costello Show. We also love The Twilight Zone and B-movies, especially since we’re big MST3K fans.
CAKE: Any contemporary sci-fi TV that floats your boat?
X PLUS ONE: Black Mirror, Altered Carbon, and we can’t wait for the new Twilight Zone produced by Jordan Peele!
CAKE: What does B. Gardner Johnson have to say about your upcoming Caveat run?
X PLUS ONE: For readers who may not know the splendor of B. Gardner Johnson yet, he’s the mysterious thousandaire who sponsors X Plus One/WXPO Studios and creates all kinds of life-improving home products. He’s delighted to have a six-month run at Caveat, and wants to remind our audience that B. Gardner Johnson sells everything your home could ever need, from The Inflatable Nanny* to Just Plain Paper Clips*. He’s seen a slight uptick in sales since he introduced B. Gardner Johnson’s Moustache Braider*, so he may even start feeding the cast soon!
*Actual audience suggestions
CAKE: If there were space aliens walking amongst us, which celebrities would they be?
X PLUS ONE: David Armstrong (aka Spence West): Ben Affleck.
Austin Sanders (aka Duck McWinn): Justin Trudeau. Take me to your leader? More like I’m already on my way!
Jeff Scherer (aka Sherman Shields): I have some doubts about Martian Gay Harden.
Mentions: Show 9pm. Buy tickets HERE. Sell this show out! Caveat is located at 21 A Clinton Street, Manhattan.