one4review | On 21, Aug 2022

Back in 2009 I first saw Showstopper! And thoroughly enjoyed it so I guess it was long overdue a return visit, now staged in the barn of a venue Pleasance Grand, with every ticket sold it has become a Fringe institution as maintains it’s popularity year after year.

What can I tell you? There is a cast of six who create from scratch a musical for ‘Cameron’ a producer who needs a brand new musical fast.

Audience suggestions are to provide the setting, the title and the style of genres/existing musicals that actually exist and a storyline is improvised, together with original songs to boot, and being ably backed by an onstage band they succeed with their task.

We saw a Birmingham Kebab shop based musical, entitled Greasy Blinders! In the style of Hamilton and Waitress amongst others.

Showstoppers have a huge pool of actors to call on, these change daily as obviously does the fair on offer, but I am willing to bet that the standard will always be high, the laughs will flow, the songs will soar and make both the producer, and certainly the audience very happy indeed.

So what has changed since 2009? Well the production values have improved a fair deal, but the ethos remains. Definitely a fun packed hour plus and you don’t have to be a musical theatre fan to enjoy it either.

4.5 ****

Reviewed by Geoff

Pleasance Grand

21.30 to 22.40

Until 28^th