CheapHYPE!' show guaranteed to entertain beyond words

    Looking for some improv comedy to go with your mime? Cheap Sox and HYPE!, Tufts' own improv and mime troupes, are pairing up again this year for a night of comedy and tragedy in Cohen Auditorium this weekend.
    The show, CheapHYPE!, presents two seemingly incompatible forms of entertainment in one performance. It is, in fact, a tradition between the two groups.
    "Cheap Sox is a good partner to HYPE!" said senior Jeff Beers, a member of HYPE! "We have a lot of history — people have often been in both groups simultaneously. We do this annual show because we're friends, and improv and mime make an interesting pair to watch."
    The first half of the performance will be eight skits presented by HYPE! "A lot of these skits are ‘classic HYPE!'" Beers said. "There's a mix of comedy and tragedy ... but we're also trying a lot of new things; more experimental stuff."
    The eight skits were conceived, directed and performed by the troupe, and will be seen by an audience for the first time on Sunday. As to the content of the skits, HYPE! prefers to keep details to a minimum.
    "We usually don't give away too much before the show," junior Rebecca Baumwoll said. "It's part of the fun to decipher what's on stage." Though she didn't spill any details, Baumwoll did insist that the audience is in for a major surprise. "Our show has a finale that breaks convention in a really big way, and we've never done it before, but we decided to step outside of the box," she said. "We're breaking our own rules, but it's going to be pretty mind-blowing."
    The second half of the evening will feature unscripted comedy by Tufts' improv troupe, Cheap Sox, with laughs directed at group members as well as brave audience participants.
    CheapHYPE! may be a tradition for established members of the two groups, but it will be four new members' first big production with their respective troupes. "This annual show is sort of a rite of passage for our new members," Beers said.
    CheapHYPE! plays one night only, this Sunday, at 8 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium. Admission is free.