one4review | On 12, Aug 2012

Four Star

****
The Showstoppers are back, and this time it’s swear-free. This was the Showtoppers team’s first foray into family friendly, but I hope not their last. Using the usual Showstoppers format, the team used audience suggestions and host Pippa Evans’ banter with the front row to create Candyland, where Holly the “shy and lovely” heroine learned to make friends who weren’t made of sugar.

One twist from the usual format was the team all on stage as we arrived, singing about sitting at the front of the room, and not leaving large gaps. Great fun that got you right into the show.

Obviously improvising makes it tricky to ensure the message stays one that all parents can approve of; harder still when the show is set in Candyland, but they managed a fair job of this, and Evans only had a couple of occasions where she needed to restore the family friendly balance. She got the audience involved with decisions during the plot, but could have used more of the audience’s own suggestions at the start, as picking Holly as a character could look like a plant. But these are minor issues, and the overall event was great family (and American) friendly entertainment.

Reviewed by Gill Smith

Gilded Balloon Teviot

To 21st August

Times vary