I finally saw the improv titans live! Read on to find out what I thought...
★★★★★
When talking about the UK improv scene, you just have to mention Showstopper. Formed in 2008, the group has since become one of the leading lights of narrative improv in the UK, and is part of the surge in popularity of improvised theatre over the last fifteen or so years. I've been a fan of Showstopper! for about a year, but hadn't managed to catch a live show until this week. A few members have appeared in Mischief Movie Night In (which I'm also a massive fan of) and I watched a few of their socially-distanced livestreams online. But seeing them live was a completely different experience.
At the start of a Showstopper show, the compere-slash-director of the show, The Writer, enters the stage to answer a phone call from "The Producer", who is asking for a new musical to be created within 2 hours. The Writer then takes suggestions from the audience (who he confirms to The Producer are "experts in musical theatre") about the location, title and homages to various musicals that appear in the show. The Showstoppers then improvise the show before the audience's very eyes. In our show, the audience occasionally went somewhat rogue; when the Writer asked for a theme for the bar the characters were in, somebody yelled "Burlesque". The Writer went ahead with this, although the scene was between a dad and his eleven-year-old son - when things got hilariously awkward, the Writer stopped the show and jokingly yelled at the audience member, "This is on you!".
Sean McCann (who played The Writer) was excellent at leading the show, with bucketloads of enthusiasm and charm. After an audience vote, the location was decided to be Disneyland, four musicals were chosen for the show to homage (from Mamma Mia! to In the Heights) and the title was given as "Mouse-trapped". With that, the show was underway.
After an opening number about the magic of Disneyland, the main characters were established: dad Gregory Great was taking his four children Danny, Ginny, Alexandra and Peter to Disneyland. 17-year-old Danny didn't want to be there, and let everyone know that! The five-strong cast each played a member of the family and several other characters, leading to some interesting situations where cast members had to quickly switch characters mid-scene, sometimes sprinting across the stage to grab the prop that defined their character. The story took a bit of time to get properly underway, but picked up momentum after a while and soon I was completely engrossed.
I was fully prepared for the songs and storylines to be brilliant, having watched their recorded live shows and livestreams (do check these out; I particularly recommend "Starving!" and "Lie Me A River"). But what I wasn't ready for was how incredibly funny it would be; several times I was nearly in tears of laughter. A scene set in a bouncy-castle room, Dumbo with two trunks and a character called "Overreacting Oliver" are just a few examples of how mad and hilarious this show can be.
However, the plot was still impressively coherent (more so than some improv shows I've seen!). It required a very sharp left turn to resolve completely at the end of the show, but I can forgive them for that because 1.) it is improvised after all, and 2.) I can't see how else it could have been resolved! It went surprisingly dark at points (even the Writer seemed surprised at how dark it got!), but the actors still kept the audience laughing, and the heartwarming, feel-good ending left everyone satisfied. The songs were mixed but of a very good standard overall - some were slightly repetitive, while others were absolute showstoppers (pun intended!).
The whole cast were brilliant, but for different reasons. Lucy Trodd was fantastically funny as burlesque dancer Martina, and equally very believable as thirteen-year-old Alexandra. Her Act Two Les Mis-style song, performed on a gondola à la Phantom of the Opera, was utterly brilliant - before she had even finished the last note, the audience was cheering. Susan Harrison played a similarly wide range of characters, and was delightful as all of them, the highlight being eight-year-old Ginny. She is a very strong singer, and particularly good at leading the group numbers. Jonathan Ainscough was consistently hilarious, whether dashing in for quick jokes or driving the narrative forward as eleven-year-old Peter. Phillip Pellew, who spent most of the show playing the father of the family, often ended up being the straight man in the scene as his character grappled with the somewhat dark reveal towards the end of Act One. However, he also manage to cause hilarity as "Overreacting Oliver"! Finally, Andrew Pugsley was brilliant as the grumpy, distant Danny (among other characters), his standout moment being the eleven o'clock number "I'm Mouse-Trapped".
The Showstoppers use their collection of set pieces (two sets of stairs, a doorway, two chairs, a table and a window, all on castors) to great effect, conjuring up situations as diverse as the aforementioned burlesque bar, a very believable ghost train/gondola and an airport security machine. Hats and coats abound; whether a bowler, beret or beanie, the Showstoppers sure know how to wring every drop of character out of a hat!
Overall, I had a great time at this show. Of course it didn't go completely smoothly (this is improv after all!) - there were some awkward pauses and the story took a while to get going. But it was as magical as ever watching the show being created in front of your eyes, so if you have the chance to go, definitely do it!
The Showstoppers are on tour at the moment, as well as playing monthly shows in London's West End. Come August, they'll be up at the Edinburgh Fringe, so if you're going, check them out. Their website is at https://showstopperthemusical.com/.
Photo credit: Alex Harvey-Brown