one4review | On 21, Aug 2015

If you’re used to improvised comedy in the form of, for example, the Improverts, this is not that. This is improvised as in ‘no script’, rather than ‘at the behest of the audience’. There were four suggestions taken from the audience right at the start, and therein ended our participation. The rest was down to ‘wheel-greasing’ by Ms Francis-White, who did an excellent job of disembodied voice.
Does it matter who knows and how much? I don’t believe Deborah’s initial scene setting was entirely spontaneous, but I’m ambivalent about whether the other four (Marcus Brigstocke, Pippa Evans, Brendan Murphy and Milly Thomas) already knew what it would be. I’m curious how much is pre-prepared and used and abused according to situation, and how much is entirely invented on the spot. Or maybe I’m totally naive about how improvised comedy works and none of this matters.
Aside from all of that, the show as it turned out was rather bemusing, though it seemed to tickle various members of the audience into giggling submission at various points. The final song was almost unanimously well received, and it on its own was our money’s worth (the rest being a pleasant bonus).
Weird, and probably needs to be seen more than once in order to do it justice.

Reviewed by Laura

Pleasance Courtyard, 17:45