Those Guys hope soon you'll know them by name.

Who are Those Guys, you ask?

They're an experiment in comedy -- Cape Girardeau's first try at an improv comedy team in the style of "Whose Line Is It Anyway."

The brain child of River City Players Bart Elfrink and Kevin Alexander, the group has honed its improv skills for months in preparation for its debut public performance May 26 at the Cup 'N' Cork Cafe.

When comedy has been tried in Cape Girardeau, the results typically haven't been that great. Several tries at stand-up comedy shows at nightclubs have failed, but improv is fresh to Cape Girardeau's nightlife.

Elfrink and Alexander know the possibility exists that local crowds won't embrace their vision. But why not try? Improv is a completely different animal than stand-up.

"Unlike stand-up, we involve the audience quite a bit," said Alexander. "If we can see they don't want to be involved, we're going to get them involved."

Those Guys started as an idea to raise funds for the River City Players back in January as a way to diversify the community theater group's offerings.

"We really wanted to utilize the talents of the River City Players people who audition but don't get a part in the shows," said Elfrink. "I was impressed when the people I thought wouldn't want to do it showed up, and the ones I thought would want to do it didn't."

Now Those Guys have a solid roster of about a dozen performers. Some of them may never have been affiliated with the RCP before.

Of course, improv comedy is vastly different than performing a part in a play. Instead of memorizing lines, the players in Those Guys are called upon to wing it with only their wits and a good sense of humor.

"You have to have no shame," said Elfrink. "You can't be afraid of making yourself look like an idiot."

Those Guys promise to make their show family friendly, even though things can sometimes get a bit bawdy in rehearsals. When the comedians start to get out of line, referee Alexander has his whistle and flag ready to cite them for violations.

Elfrink admits the first show will be an interesting experiment. Like they do on stage, in getting this group together those guys followed the "winging it" philosophy.

"We just sort of jumped off a cliff to see if we could fly," Elfrink said.

But with plenty of rehearsal under their belt, the performers should be ready for their first show. They just hope the audience is.

And Alexander reminds potential patrons there's an incentive to coming the first Those Guys show.

"It's free," he said.

msanders@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 182