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The Sticking Place Showstopper!
King’s Head Theatre
13 October 2008 – 02 March, 2009
A review by Alan Taylor for EXTRA! EXTRA!
Your producer rings and he’s read the musical your assistant sent through. He hates it. You hate it too. So what do you do? Well, why not make it up as you go along? Showstopper is an improvised musical where the plot and songs are made up on the spot, on the night. Tonight the theme is ‘corruption’ and the actors are given the title “Liars Die Too” (no, it’s not a sequel they stress). It starts in Bethnal Green Town Hall and is set last Thursday. Of course, this is all called out by the audience at the beginning of the show, and we are led to believe that the actors just have to improvise with this material. Now, please bear with me while I recount the story because then, when you go, you can tell me if the story I saw and the one you saw matches up or whether it is completely improvised. Harry (played by Adam Meggido) is a worker at Bethnal Green Town Hall employed by the government to count votes (they’ve not yet made the switch to digital). His friend Tim is sacked (and later killed) because he knows too much, and it later conspires that the current councillor was elected via foul play. However, Harry saves the day when a gift given by Tim to Dawn (to give to Harry) uncovers the secret of the scam and saves the day. The show has the potential to be disastrous- as we all know the element of human error can be amazingly high, but Showstopper is actually hilarious, probably merely because of the random factor. Things did get a bit too hysterical at points when narrator/ director Dylan Emmery interjects to add improvs that he thinks would be funnier, and when sometimes the actors misunderstand each other on stage (for example, they try to get Harry run over by a train and Sean McCann comes up with the great plan of ‘The Central Line Switch’- how quick of him to remember that Bethnal Green is on the Central Line. However, Oliver Senton hears it as “the central switch”, and thus the play takes a different turn altogether. Argh!). The range of styles covered is also great- going from Wagnerian death scenes to Sondheim and Gilbert and Sullivan. They were even so gracious as to incorporate rap and flamenco, though I would have loved to have seen more of these unpredictable styles than the tried and tested musical formula. Overall, minor discrepancies can’t account for the sheer hilarity factor in this play. Although, I am unconvinced as to whether it was altogether entirely improvised- for instance, I’m sure there was basic storyline and song sequences that may have remained the same even if the lyrics changed. Also, you can’t tell me that no one knows that Wagner suits a tragic scene more than a happy one. Nonetheless, it still requires thinking on your feet, and live improv is a nerve wracking challenge for the hardiest actor. It’s a guaranteed good laugh and will be enjoyed by anyone. If you want to surprise a friend and do something different, go see this! It will put them in a good mood for the rest of the evening whilst fooling them that they did something cultured.
King’s Head Theatre & Bar
Showstopper is showing until the 2nd March 2009 at 7.30pm Tickets £10/£8 conc Box Office 0844 412 2953
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