Interview: Alan Talaga Talks Pokémon

Local Madison funny man Alan Talaga and Atlas Improv have teamed up to present something circa 1999 -- Pokémon: The First Movie. But instead of seeing the colorful monsters battling it out on the screen, they've taken to the stage in the format of a staged reading.

So, what's the Pokemon movie reading about? Is the script preparation for a full length production at some point? What inspired you to do a Pokemon movie play?

In my old sketch show, The Dan Potacke Show, we had a recurring game called "Acting!" where we had random audience members read out scenes from weird, cult and/or bad movies.

Meanwhile, I read that Jason Reitman, the director of movies like Juno and Up in the Air, was doing staged readings of classic movies in Los Angeles. For example, he did The Empire Strikes Back with Ellen Page as Han Solo.

I wanted to see what it would be like to do a full script reading like that, except with a less-than amazing film like the ones we used scenes from in the "Acting!" game.

Many of the movies I was first interested in staging had too many locations or too many characters to put onstage and still be an enjoyable experience. Pokémon hit the sweet spot perfectly -- there's only a dozen or so main characters, people remember it but don't have it memorized. And there's a couple scenes in there that are genuinely moving, at least for me.

How long have you been working with the cast? Obviously it's just a staged reading, but even staged readings need rehearsals.

It's a really great cast, people from local theatre, improv, stand-up and more. People I've enjoyed working with in the past and people I've wanted to work with. It's been interesting to see which actors are sticking close to the original characters and which ones are going in a different direction.

Is there anything else you're working on right now?

I've got some stand-up shows around town including a stand-up show at the Wizard World Madison comic book convention on April 9th.

I'm doing a one-night sketch show on June 17th at Broom St Theatre. It will be a parody of start-ups and millennial tech culture.

In longer term projects, I'm working on a full-length script for 'Dog Pope.' It's about a dog that becomes the pope.

If you were a Pokemon, what kind of Pokemon would you be and why?

I'd probably be a Vanillite. Because it is a giant, living ice cream cone. And I think it would be fun to be a giant, living ice cream cone.

Can audiences come dressed to impress for the event? Pikachu onesies and all?

Cosplay is always encouraged!

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Tickets are now sold out for the event, but perhaps the popularity will bring it back for an encore!