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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Sprout
in
Premiere!
Verdict: Improvised comedy drama
Premiere! is an hour of comedy theatre by London improvisation group Sprout. A new play's made up every night from the audience's ideas.
Grant Westbrook, aimiable, medium build, short black hair, wire-framed glasses, pulls words from the audience to form the titles of 3 playlets. Tonight they are Spice Up Your Wife, It's Christmas - Hey!, and The Lustful Doctor.
Just from the title, the actors give a short run-through to each play. There's a vote. Spice Up Your Wife wins. The cast make up a story and play it for a half-hour, incorporating further suggestions from the audience.
Premiere!'s success comes from the grace and humour of Sprout's fine team of actors. Grant Westbrook delivers couch-potato David with wit and imagination. David Bourn, the lad with extra-short haircut, plays his Quasimodo-style servant Sandrine adroitly.
Jonathan Cohen, the dark-haired actor with smouldering Latin good looks, plays David's dad in Viz Cockney-Wanker style. Michelle Owoo, the pretty actress with curly blonde hair, plays a French waitress with delight, fluency and impishness. Victoria Willing, the equally pretty actress with straight darker hair, plays the Sapphic proprietor with great subtlety, engaging presence, and deft humour.
Pianist Andy 'Bobo' Fisher provides musical cues and song melodies - for which the cast improvise lyrics skilfully - with fine imagination and subtlety. He alternates Edinburgh weeks with Paul Ayres and another musician.
A highlight of the night is the skilled and funny interplay between Victoria Willing and Michelle Owoo
as the two naughty French women. There are no other kind on the British stage, but these two are naughtier than most, and their French is better.
Cast Credits (alpha order): Actors: David Bourn, Jonathan Cohen, Michelle Owoo, Grant Westbrook, Victoria Willing. Musicians (separate nights): Paul Ayres. Andy 'Bobo' Fisher (tonight).
Company Credits: Technical operator (tonight) - Nick Murphy
END
John Park
reviewed Wednesday 14 July 04 / The Polar Bear
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
