Last month's Virtual Comedy Showcase (review below) is still available for viewing. (Go to Riverwalk’s Facebook page; pull down the “more” menu to get “videos”; or sometimes that menu’s on the side…Anyway, I trust you can find “videos” on the Facebook page; if you’re not on Facebook, sorry. That’s the only place to view these monthly mini-shows.)
For the upcoming challenges, Riverwalk’s Facebook page will post how you can participate in the theme on the 1st, and then they'll compile submissions into one video show for airing on the 4th Thursday. The goal is to make this for all ages, so they reserve the right to omit content that is not family-friendly.
April's event is dance themed, with participants choosing a video from either (or both) Amanda Tollstam or Karyn Perry to recreate. Amanda has used the choreography from The Greatest Showman, it's trending on TikTok as a dance challenge; while Karyn has sent an original dance combo.
Those videos are posted in the comments on the instructions post. These short videos with RWT tagged will be compiled into an ensemble video for airing on the fourth Thursday of the month.You pick your favorite (or both!) to learn, then record yourself and share your video with mailto:[email protected] by April 16th so we can include your video in our virtual dance party. Have fun with it, and get moving!
Virtual Comedy Showcase offers variety
Various familiar and unfamiliar faces are featured in this hour-long, fun mash-up from droll, animated standup by Dan Currie to bawdy Shakespeare moves by Charles Hoogstraten to vintage comedy written by Stan Gill, to Lemony Poppy's dancing drawings to “One Moment in Time” where Laura Croff luxuriates in her fantasy of kids helping out… and more. (Best to use your largest-screen viewing situation to be able to read Laura’s kids’ funny signs.)
An entertaining but confusing aspect of this Virtual Comedy Showcase is the amiable hosting by Mark Boyd, interviewing oblivious “star”, Jim Hoffmaster. (You may remember Jim as Fagin in Riverwalk’s Oliver! 20 years ago.) Jim is a good friend and he told us that this “interview" was all pretty spontaneous/ad lib and the “concept” of him being a diva who does not really even remember Riverwalk is, of course, a joke, which he hopes no one will take seriously — however, much of the other interview info is actually true. He DOES have a small, recurring role in Showtime’s Shameless, which is ending after 11 years. Jane Rosemont HAS made a documentary on his life that will soon be offered to film festivals (with a special showing in Lansing, we hope!). For those who want to know more about our dear, departed (not dead; just in L.A.) Jim Hoffmaster, check out the links below.
Documentary reel https://www.actinglikenothingiswrong.com
Shameless reel https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=113342775492030
Non Shameless https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=256943679199412
Cameo Recordings for birthday, etc. recorded messages https://www.cameo.com/shamelesskermit?qid=undefined
Diaryland https://jim515.diaryland.com