Books, fairies, and laughter abounded at Lady Franklyn’s performance at Willow Creek Theatre on Oct. 4. This improv display featured performers Chris Apling, Luke Brooks, Mickey Hawtrey, and Fiona Howat.

Brooks, a co-founder of Willow Creek Theatre, spoke about the improv group’s history. Established in 2021, Lady Franklyn was one of the first teams to audition for the theatre, and while its members have come and gone, it has been a part of Willow Creek Theatre since.

“It’s been a steady labor of love to build into the core team of performers we have now,” Brooks said. “It seems like we’re finally at a place where Lady Franklyn has a very clear sense of identity and style.”

Hawtrey, a performer with Lady Franklyn since May, said Lady Franklyn’s distinct style is based around long-form improv, where performers will take suggestions from the audience and adapt them into a monologue. 

“The fun part about the fact that we take multiple suggestions is maybe the first time somebody gives a suggestion, they’re a little shy, and then they see where we took that suggestion, the next time we ask for a suggestion, people are way more excited to throw out an idea,” Hawtrey said.

Their performance started with a question posed by Apling, “What are you most excited about for fall?” The first response: homecoming. Apling has been a performer with Lady Franklyn since 2023.

“The best part for me is I get to make art by playing made-up games with my friends on stage,” Apling said. “It’s such a human art form where you get to really listen to somebody and co-create these imaginary worlds on stage with other people.”

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After the first suggestion of homecoming, Brooks launched into a monologue about their homecoming experience. Based on the monologue, Brooks and Apling assumed the roles of “Barnes” and “Noble,” respectively, with Apling lamenting that “everyone forgets about Noble.”

Meanwhile, Howat assumed the role of Chrysanthemum, to whom “Barnes” wrote letters, and Hawtrey assumed the role of “Gladys,” the near-death fairy godmother. 

As Chrysanthemum and Barnes, Howat and Brooks read one of the letters written in English and French. During the third scene, a similar letter was reread. Attendee Dusty Sanor enjoyed this particular callback.

“I enjoy the long-form improv just because there are callbacks all night,” Sanor said. “I found it funny they kept calling back to the French language stuff.”

Fairies and books were also recurring themes throughout the show. With the second suggestion of Halloween, the two themes combined after “A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas was referenced. 

As Apling and Brooks went back and forth over the book series’ various plot points, Hawtrey maintained his role as “Gladys,” the old fairy who wants to find love.

Howat led the other two monologues of the evening, sharing her experiences with Halloween and camping. She assumed various roles of a confessor to a Catholic priest, a British mother, and a ghostwriter for “Jeremy Fall-Out,” the fictional lead singer of “Fall Out Boy.”

“We can be objects, we can be animals, it doesn’t matter,” Howat said. “People aren’t going to judge you for it because they’ll see where your thought has come from.”

The final scene ended in chaos as Gladys, the old fairy godmother, perished, Apling led a “Fairy End of Life 101” class, Howat stayed by Gladys’ side, and Brooks mistakenly walked into a supply closet. 

At the end of the hour-long performance, the cast was thanked with loud applause from the laughing audience.