The Kids in the Hall. Monty Python. Key & Peele. Every sketch comedy troupe has a great origin story.
For Edmonton’s Marv n’ Berry, that story begins at the 2015 Bonfire Improv Festival, Rapid Fire Theatre’s annual festival showcasing new, innovative talent from the world of improvisational comedy. Most of the shows are, naturally, performed off-the-cuff, but that year, the festival put out a call for improvisers willing to try their hands at sketch comedy. They were challenged to write, memorize and perform their scenes. The five Edmonton comics who would soon become known as Marv n’ Berry signed up, stumbling upon an unexpected comedic rapport that hasn’t slowed since. “We all knew each other from the improv world,” says Marv n’ Berry member Mike Robertson, “but we answered the call, and we had chemistry from that very first show.”
They’ve since spent the last decade touring around North America and even earned multiple awards from sketch comedy festivals in Montreal and Seattle. On April 10, the group performs its 10th anniversary show at the Varscona Theatre, celebrating this milestone with a best-of retrospective of sketches.
Fans of the troupe often ask Robertson about the name. He says it’s another callback to their Bonfire origins.“There was a sketch about someone using a time machine to solve very minor clerical problems at an office.” One of the comics referenced Harry Waters Jr.’s character Marvin Berry from Back to the Future. With that, Marv n’ Berry was officially formed.
Sketch comedy troupes typically consist of a small duo or trio (think: Mr. Show, Key & Peele) or they go big like the cast of Saturday Night Live. But Robertson says a five-piece crew strikes the right balance, because it allows for some members to get stage time while off-stage members wait in the wings, preparing the next scene.
“We do classic, no-frills sketch comedy with really clear premises,” he says. “And we generally challenge ourselves to not really have any props, because for us it’s important to just have a scene — and then, within seconds, the next one starts.”
Like any great troupe, each member brings something unique. Robertson is the group’s high-concept writer whose sketches, he admits, are sometimes too weird for their own good. Sam Stralak is often the main character in sketches thanks to his mastering of physical comedy. Quinn Contini’s superpower is his unpredictable nature. Chris Borger is the “comedy sniper” with the group’s quickest wit. And character actor Nikki Hulowski, whom you might recognize from Jann, brings “a real gravitas, while also adding absurdity to sketches,” says Robertson.
A decade together has cemented the fivesome as a beloved sketch-comedy crew. While they’ve refined their sketches over the years to make sure every punchline pops, their improvisational instincts always lurk under every performance, waiting to take the actors and audience somewhere unexpected.
“Sometimes, inspiration strikes, and you have to let it come out. We don’t improvise the sketches, but sometimes there’s a specific energy that brings a bit of improv out in the moment. If you’re able to tap into that, it makes the show a little bit more electric.”
The Best of Marv n’ Berry 10th Anniversary Show at Varscona Theatre
April 10, 2025 at 8 PM. Tickets are $39.
