Little Lark of London

“If you’re not laughing, you’re learning”

Dru Cripps: Juicy Bitts begins in a bit of a strange way for a comedy show – it begins in silence. Cripps emerges from the back of the audience and takes to the stage, dressed in a boiler suit and winter hat. The audience quickly learns that they won’t be getting any word from Cripps. Instead, they’re the ones making the noise, following the comedian’s instructions to create a range of sound effects for his miming, from mourning two empty seats in the front row to hunting birds.

But fear not (as some in the audience definitely did) – it’s not an hour of miming as Cripps jokingly claims after an audience singalong to “Sweet Caroline.” This isn’t your average stand-up comedy show, though – Juicy Bitts has Cripps showing off his “Loopstation-based shenanigans” (yes, that’s the name for the strange device around his waist), coming up with improvised songs based on conversations with audience members. The performance is entirely based on audience participation, guaranteeing a different show every night. Audience members are asked about their jobs and favourite genres of music, and Cripps uses the Loopstation to create a song just for them. 

Cripps jokes that there’s time for about twenty of these songs within the show, threatening as much audience participation as possible – instilling fear in the heart of those who were very pointedly making eye contact with the floor in the hopes of not being chosen. There aren’t too many people who want to participate, which Cripps acknowledges, saying, “There’s a lot of tension in the room tonight” when trying to select new people to talk to. Luckily, Cripps is able to get a few involved, so there end up being around five musical numbers, including a jazz song about being an architect, a rock song teaching kids how to break glass with sound and even a drill song about drills that has Cripps questioning whether he’s going to be cancelled or not. 

That’s not to say that everything runs smoothly – this is improv in London, after all. One particularly overenthusiastic audience member gets to be a bit too much, but Cripps solves this by literally bringing them outside of the Bill Murray. Towards the end of the hour, Cripps turns his attention to a couple in the second row who are on their first date. While some comedians may have moved to other audience members after a few awkward minutes of interaction, Cripps dives right in, acknowledging the awkwardness by claiming, “If you feel uncomfortable, that’s also a theatrical experience.” This all leads to a frankly iconic moment when one audience member mutters, “Oh, God,” and Cripps immediately quips back with, “Not quite, Dru Cripps.” There are also a few technical issues, but Cripps works through them with ease, switching microphones as needed.

Ultimately, Dru Cripps: Juicy Bitts is a clever hour of improv, with Cripps being quick on his feet as he works with a classic London audience. One could see this show every night and have it never be the same because of different audience members, making it an appealing concept.  The show’s description may claim that “Cripps really has to be seen to be misunderstood,” but it’s easily understandable that Cripps is a talented comedian who can improvise his way through any situation. One can only look forward to what Cripps does next – as long as it’s not a full hour of mime!

Dru Cripps: Juicy Bitts ran on 5 October at the Bill Murray. For more information on Cripps, click here.