Little Lark of London

“Unexpected? Yes, yes it was.”

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical begins with a phone ringing, a call from a producer asking for updates on the next musical our writer (Dylan Emery) has come up with. As he has yet to come up with anything, Emery asks the audience for help, claiming that they’re “musical theatre experts” who will be able to create a musical in two hours. 

First? The setting. Some are a bit more controversial than others, with one audience member’s suggestion of “The White House” being greeted by boos and hisses as Emery quickly dismisses it. Ultimately, it comes down to “a lottery winner’s party” versus the “Scrabble World Championships,” with the lottery winner’s party winning the audience majority. Then, the producer asks what kind of music to expect from the musical, which has Emergy again asking the audience for help. The musical styles for this show include but are not limited to Come From Away, Les Misérables, Avenue Q, and Anything Goes. To quote Emery on the phone to the producer, “The music is . . . Inconsistent.” 

And the title of the show? An audience members comes up with Lucky Bastards and wins the approval of the majority of the audience, which earns him a Showstopper! CD and some bragging rights. With that, the show can really start! Tonight’s cast is Adam Meggido, Ali James, Andrew Pugsley, Justin Brett, Philip Pellew and Pippa Evans, along with Emery as the “writer” of the show. James and Pugsley play our leading couple, Sandra and Gary, the winners of the lottery who are deciding what to do with the money that they have won. They are joined at the party they’re hosting by their nosy neighbours, played by Pellew and Evans, as well as Sandra’s ex and her brother, both named Graham and both played by Meggido (as you can imagine, this leads to a hilarious bit later in the show in which the two appear on stage together). 

As the “Writer,” Emery has the ability to pause the show, typically using this power to make his fellow performers repeat mistakes they’ve made or to comment on just how silly things have gotten. Some highlights include having Pellew, Evans and James improvising a Julian Donaldson book, with all three having to speak in unison while rhyming, a slow-motion fight between a sushi chef and a fish (Brett and Pellew) while Pugsley sings in the style of Les Misérables and the cast going out into the audience as they sing a Starlight Express-themed number, pretending to be cats on roller skates and tripping into the seats and falling over audience members. No, most of these moments don’t make sense even with the entire context of the show, but they’re still absolutely hilarious. There is a tendency for the background characters to be the silliest, often interrupting the more serious moments between the main characters. 

It is truly amazing to see people create things out of thin air, and this night of Showstopper! is no exception. I absolutely adored the cast’s rendition of a Hadestown-styled song which was simply incredible, especially for something that had not been rehearsed before! Credit must also be given to the fantastic band, made up of Duncan Walsh Atkins (keys), Andrew Woolf (reeds) and Alex Atty (percussion), all of whom are able to improvise in a dozen different styles on a whim, catering to the needs of the performers in the blink of an eye. It’s also quite fun to watch their own reactions to the improvisers, often laughing at moments along with the audience before quickly getting into the headspace for the next musical number.

During the interval, audience members are encouraged to go on Instagram and leave comments on the show’s most recent post (@showstopperthemusical), suggesting what should happen in Act II. Emery then starts the act by reading out some of these comments, determining which of them will make it into the next 45 minutes of showtime. 

It is sometimes difficult to hear the dialogue, especially in between the singing during the musical numbers, but let’s be honest – the audience isn’t here for a complicated plot. They’re here for a hilarious night of improv. Some of the songs also grow quite repetitive, with only a phrase or two being repeated throughout, but this should be expected with constantly having to come up with songs off the top of your head. 

Ultimately, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is a fun and impressive night of improvisational comedy, combining musical and comedic talent for a fantastic two hours. If you’re a fan of musicals and/or comedy, you simply must see Showstopper! the next time it is at the Cambridge Theatre. 

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical runs on select Mondays at the Cambridge Theatre. The show is also on tour. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.