Showstoppers The Improvised Musical
I went to see this show in Edinburgh last year and then I heard the Pilot on Radio 4 on March 16th which was really exciting! I really do hope that Showstoppers The Improvised Musical get a full series commissioned as it’s such a fun and brilliant show. The basic premise is that it’s a musical but the whole thing is totally improvised by a group of very talented performers. The performers take suggestions from the audience, for example for the setting (anything from your parents basement to haunted ski chalets), the protagonists, the plot, the title and work up a whole show around these suggestions. It’s impressive enough to see performers improvise a scene or to invent characters on the spot but when you throw in to that the ability to improvise songs it’s really amazing! The whole show is invariably very “feel good”and both times I saw it the audience absolutely loved it as they felt very involved and included.
In 2009 Showstopers The Improvised Musical was nominated for the MTM Award which is absolutely wonderful and thoroughly deserved. I’ve seen other companies, from America for instance, doing improvised musicals at the Edinburgh Fringe and these shows were also very slick and impressive. However there is something uniquely British about Showstoppers, in which the humour really shines through. I sometimes feel that Radio 4 can be a wee bit safe in terms of its comedy programming, so to programme something which was fully improvised would be very refreshing. Taking risks is essential in comedy and what could be more risky than an entirely improvised musical?
The cast are all very funny, quick and highly skilled improvisers and as well as well known comedy performers such as Pippa Evans there are also up and coming talents such as Ruth Bratt to look out for. A regular on the impro scene for years (but still far from being a household name) she’s a real joy to watch, quirky and vocally skilled and I for one hope to see more of her in the future.
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