One Night Stand, a show which completely improvises an hour-long musical every night, music, lyrics, choreography, plot, dialogue - the lot - asks the audience for three things: a title, the title of a song and a location. Tonight the cast disregard 'seacow', 'I can't get it up' and pick 'I love your wife', 'my favourite Bar Mitzvah', and 'a closet' - producing a creative and funny series of songs. These are loosely attached to a plot: two sets of love-triangles held together with lost-and-found blood brothers, with witty (and sometimes less witty) dialogue, solos and group numbers.

The actors literally bounce on stage, brimming with utterly-placed confidence and joie de vivre. In lesser hands it might be irritating, but conscious of the precarious nature of what they attempt every night, the showbiz is tempered by a healthy dose of endearing and witty self-deprecation which makes up for a few slips in quality.

Performances are consistently strong, particularly from Kobi Libii and Sam Martin, backed with Jonah Platt's classic hero and Quinn Beswick's strong lead as narrator. Andrew Resnick's musical accompaniment is delivered with skill and panache and the lighting achieves exactly the right balance of following and leading the action. The simple design of eight red chairs reinforces the idea that the actors must rely on nothing but their own talent and wit.

Actors produce sound effects themselves - the wind, a bird. They slip effortlessly in and out of different characters and understand the importance of some cohesive effects to hold the whole thing together. They could make it easier on themselves - some more intra-actor consultation would help to tighten plot and enhance the comedic value, and there's room for the narrator to take a more proactive role to steer things more wittily towards a conclusion. But it is all pulled off neatly.

Even more than most theatre, One Night Stand showsup the symbiotic relationship between audience and performers. The performers know the form inside out, embrace and exploit it and with the expectations that the audience bring, the result is riotous enjoyment of a truly collaborative effort. It's adventurous, witty, risky, low-maintenance and sincerely-played, with infectious enthusiasm.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Quinn Beswick. Adam Cochrane. Kobi Libii. Josh Margolin. Sam Martin. Jonah Platt. Mollie Taxe.

Company Credits: Co-Director - Dan Fishbach. Co-Director - Michele Spears. Music Director - Andrew Resnick. Technical Operator - uncredited. Associate Producer - Jonah Platt. Producer - Marc Platt. Producer - Will Adashek. Producer - Dan Fishbach. Company - One Night Stand.

END

(c) Ruth Stanley 2008

reviewed on Sunday 3 August 2008 / Queen Dome @ Pleasance Dome

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2011

www.fringereport.com