Shellshock! Improv Live!

Shellshock! Improv Live! features a daring band of young performers improvising sketches entirely from audience suggestion. There are various fun games; one where one improv agent leaves the room and upon returning must use their powers of deduction to decipher their own story, as provided by the audience, to figure out why they have arrived late into the scene. Then there’s good marionette fun where members of the audience are brought on the stage to use the actors as their human manikins. There are multiple TV show send-ups based on the audience’s suggestions. The finale is continuous performance of several, usually wacky scenarios or scene titles handpicked by the audience.

It’s fun if you’re new to improv, or if you’re nearby and fancy a quick fun fix, but generally there’s better stuff to be seen around the Fringe.

There’s plenty of audience interaction and a good amount of physical comedy. Unfortunately, as is often the case with young improv groups, the gags tend to fall flat and the scenes don’t always flow. The group need to inject more energy into their performance and take more risks. Whilst there were flashes of inventiveness, by and large they were too unimaginative. I gave them the suggestion of space vikings invade earth! and they came up with a single happy invading Viking, albeit with a lovely viking accent, but where was the Viking shouting horde? They need to become more adventurous and more exciting in their improv. They could also do with listening closer to their audience suggestions and to each other and remembering where their story arcs are going.

They’re a competent improv group but there’s nothing that gives them the wow factor. It’s fun if you’re new to improv, or if you’re nearby and fancy a quick fun fix, but generally there’s better stuff to be seen around the Fringe.