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The Improvability Drive
Verdict: Improv - with Spangles
Edinburgh 06 - Roman Eagle Lodge - 4-27 August 06 - 13:10 (0:55)
Edinburgh is not short of Improv shows, from Paul Merton and his were-on-TV-in-the-90s mates, through to revue groups from every university with overly-rich parents, to this bunch from Brighton.
The South Coast's Mayday Players rehearse the audience in shouting things out. Volunteer vocal chords suitably warmed, they get on with a series of games which they say will build up together for the finale.
The first involves shouting 'freeze', and swapping the scene with others in the cast. They follow this by defining a word invented by the audience. Jumping in and out of scenes is amusing, but risks not reaching any's full potential - until they work back through them, having given the cast thinking-time.
The art, which the Mayday Players seem to have, is in knowing when to stop. Improv always runs the risk of over-running. It isn't easy to end on gag. So having someone run the game for the others allows them to shout 'cut' and end the sketch high.
New Choice has the cast on a beach holiday, but doing some very strange things as the director disagrees with what they say. It is a game where the cast shows their skill at reincorporating earlier ideas into their latest sketches.
Credit should also go to some of the audience members. When the cast asks for a film idea to allow for Oscars Moments, one punter goes for Snakes on a Train. Katy Schutte does an interesting twist, offering these for sale. During each Oscars Moment, the other cast members carry on acting and responding.
A solo actor talking to self for a scene isn't the strongest material, but the humour of Rebecca Smith beating herself to a pulp, then being beaten, adds laughs when the lines alone might not have.
In an audience-volunteered funeral parlour situation, the cast finds plenty to amuse. But they decide it isn't good enough, and repeat it, all now overwhelmed by jealousy. This allows some great lines, but it really takes off in German - when George Britwell's broken car simply isn't, it is far too efficient. Robin Fry then leads a musical version - with a chorus about corpses.
The 'must keep the title relevant' moment comes when the group starts The Improvability Drive - complete with smoke - then does a piece, as promised, involving all the games from before. An audience member volunteers the first line 'who brought the Spangles?' - and they are off.
They mix swap and new choice, throwing in an ad break (for musical chocolate fingers), a spot of spelling, and some freezing. Again, the highlights are often not just good gags, but pay-off gags that reincorporate earlier material - though always from the same sketch.
The show has pretty consistent laughs, and there is no sign that the cast are finding ways to spew out tried and tested sets. In fact, once or twice, they have to work not to laugh at each other's material. Thankfully for the audience, off-stage laughing is just fine. In fact, it's hard to avoid.
Cast Credits: Cast on the day: George Britwell, Katy Schutte, Rebecca Smith, David Villiers, Robin Fry. Mayday Players also includes: Rachel Blackman, Jenny Rowe.
Company Credits: Technical Operator: Lloyd Ryan-Thomas. Company - Mayday Players.
END
(c) Gill Smith 2006
reviewed Wednesday 16 August 06 / Roman Eagle Lodge
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2009
