If Robin Corsberg and Christopher Coombs look familiar, it’s probably because each has spent many years entertaining audiences on stages in Bellingham and beyond.
The duo’s new project, The Robin Christopher Show, draws upon their varied theatrical and improvisational talents — with planned and unplanned assists from audience members, invited guests and Corsberg’s 13-year-old corgi, Toodey.
“She’s the resident ‘awww,’” said Corsberg, an actor and former improviser and teacher at The Upfront Theatre, who can make people laugh using only her facial expressions. “I think she knew she was famous years ago. But this show’s for all of us. All of us know we’re talented.”
Toodey, Robin Corsberg’s corgi, sits on the carpet on the main stage. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
At monthly performances that took place on Friday nights in May and June at the Lucas Hicks Auditorium at the New Prospect Theatre — formerly the Sylvia Center for the Arts — Coombs and Corsberg tested out the format of The Robin Christopher Show, which they cheekily describe as “a talk show and a show show and the special guests are anybody’s guess and definitely part of the audience.”
Coombs, a former manager at Idiom Theater — where he also acted, directed and occasionally wrote plays — is now the house manager at the New Prospect Theatre. He knows what it takes to engage audiences and to keep things operating smoothly.
This may explain why, during sit-down interviews with random audience members and guests such as ventriloquist Brady McAtee and improviser and actor Matt Slater, Coombs has been able to coax unexpected answers out of them in his guise as a talk show host. Sporting a pink suit he ordered on Amazon, he has been chatty and amusing without being ingratiating.
Ventriloquist Brady McAtee presented a set with his puppet Charlie during The Robin Christopher Show. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
“I’m hoping for interviews that are not only funny but pull some reality into the theater,” Coombs said. “I’m interested in finding something in this person’s history that’s interesting.”
But despite the true-life tales they’ve coaxed from audience members, Corsberg and Coombs are hoping The Robin Christopher Show will also provide a respite for people hoping to forget about their day-to-day worries, at least for a little while.
“We wanted to lighten things up for us,” Corsberg said. “We are striving to find the joy we had in our 20s by simply performing. I like to take the interview info and sprinkle it into whatever improv comes up. Improv is where my heartbeat is.”
At their next gig taking place Friday, Aug. 4, audiences can expect to see a wholly original performance. Coombs and Corsberg are still fine-tuning their format, costuming and characters, but line items that will likely remain consistent going forward are that there will be invited guests, interviews with audience members and improvisational aspects.
Christopher Coombs, left, Matt Slater and Toodey interact during an improvised scene. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
“We’ll be trying new things in the next show,” Coombs said. “We’re going to write some jokes for the top, and pull in some headlines and news items and try to explain our backstory a little bit more.”
Guest improviser and Upfront alum Joan Prinz is also on the Aug. 4 lineup, as are members of Little Lemon Productions’ upcoming staging of the teen edition of the musical “Chicago,” who will be performing songs from the show as part of what Coombs described as a “theater commercial.”
Going forward, Coombs and Corsberg are hoping to secure a regular date on the New Prospect calendar, but for now, they’re filling in on Friday nights when the theater doesn’t have anything scheduled. Meanwhile, they’re looking for guests with special talents.
“Can you do origami while singing a song?” Corsberg said, adding that anybody can reach out to them with queries about taking part in the fun.
“We will honor you,” Corsberg said. “We will clean you up.”
Matt Slater, center, joins Christopher Coombs, left, and Robin Corsberg onstage. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
One thing both performers stress is they want people who are plucked from their seats and brought to the stage to feel comfortable telling their stories in a public setting, and then seeing them brought to life via various improv formats.
“You know when you’re talking to someone and a story comes up and you say, ‘No way, I can’t believe that happened to you!’” Corsberg said. “We want them to tell those stories so we can stretch them out.”
Observations from the first two shows indicate people are up for sharing things that have happened in their lives, and are willing to be part of the show in an interactive way. Throw in talented guests and a dog willing to play a loaf of bread in an improvised scene, and you’re in for a good time.
“If you get me and Robin and a third person in a room, we’re going to get that third person to laugh, and maybe join in,” Coombs said. “Plus, you may get a free gift.”
“This is the deal,” Corsberg added. “I can always guarantee that if you come on a night of the week to see a show and the lights are up and we have intentions of being there, you’ll have a good time. And, guess what, the content is coming from you.”
Attend The Robin Christopher Show at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 4, at the New Prospect Theatre, 207 Prospect St. Tickets are $15. Info: newprospecttheatre.org. If you have an idea and would like to be a guest, reach out to therobinchristophershow@gmail.com.
