Improvised comedy: the ultimate Marmite genre. A good one leaves you in stitches and amazed at the inventiveness of the troops and a bad one makes you cringe so much that you dig holes in your shoes. This is most definitely the first of the two.
I loved their storytelling techniques and inventive characters.
It’s not perfect, but for a troupe so young they work brilliantly well together. The night started with some introductions to the night’s performers with quick sketch ideas to bring them all onstage. In true improvised spirit, what was initially designed (I think) to be a quick exercise to make a film, developed into a 35-minute play reminiscent of a space version of Much Ado About Nothing.
It escalated naturally and with genuine skill. The audience enjoyed some brilliant comic moments as well as some touching, and at one point almost tearful ones. I loved their storytelling techniques and inventive characters. Jack Robertson stood out as the host with a slightly cheeky form of comedy, and was well complemented by the ever-deadpan Jacob Lovick. All of the performers stood out in their own way, had great presence, and exhibited great comic timing.
The only reason that it is not a 5* show is because of the use of space. The space they are in has a thrust stage and they seem to perform a lot to the audience directly in front of them. Some of the jokes and facial expressions were lost on my side as we were being shown the backs of performers. The members of the group are also still young and haven’t got the whole package just yet. Sometimes they lack a bit of technique, but this will come with time and more performances.
The cast changes every night (obviously the comedy does too) so no two nights are the same, but this showing considered, it is well worth checking out!
