Showstopper! The Improvised Musical – Garrick Theatre

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical continues its residency at the Garrick Theatre, London until 22 March 2021.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

This reviewer will never tire of seeing The Showstoppers company perform. Each production in its own right is a once in a lifetime experience for cast, crew and audience that will never be repeated. That electric feeling where anything (literally anything) can happen on a night at the theatre with The Showstoppers is palpable as the show opens and then unfolds. You feel in very safe hands with these fearless performers, who know literally nothing about the show they’re going to perform as they step out onstage every night, except that it will be ridiculously fun for all involved.

How does an improvised musical work? A company, band and crew of the most skilled comedy improvisers take to the stage. They gather either in person, or through texts and tweets, a setting for a brand new musical, as suggested by an audience member. In the past I have seen Showstoppers productions set in Vatican City and Heathrow Terminal 5. The audience also select shows which this new production’s musical numbers might be inspired by. The lights go up and the musical begins. Audiences watch in awe as the team of musicians, actors, MC and crew construct characters, plot, lyrics, choreography and staging in the moment. Live theatre at its most unpredictable and thrilling.

On 7 December, The Showstoppers opened their four-month Monday night residency at the Garrick Theatre. Multi-talented ‘Chair’ Dylan Emery, who also plays the bass throughout, constructed ‘A New Direction’, a musical based around a motley crew of actors who had suddenly found themselves out of work (‘Who knows why?’) and are taking their theatrical tendencies into their stop gap jobs, at McDonald’s, driving taxis and so on.

The resulting production, inspired by musicals chosen by the audience, Rocky Horror, Hamilton and The Lion King, was a comic whirlwind. Safe in the hands of a veteran cast of Showstoppers: Andrew Pugsley, Adam Meggido, Pippa Evans, Ali James, Justin Brett and Philip Pellew, the experience was 75 minutes of sheer joy. Kudos to the band, musical director Duncan Walsh Atkins and percussionist Alex Atty. Standout performances all round, coupled with the fact that for many, cast included, this was a collective return to live theatre for the first time in more than seven months, it was overall an unforgettable night.

Catch The Showstoppers in their Garrick Theatre residency playing five Mondays: 11 January, 8 and 22 February, 8 and 22 March 2021. The Showstoppers will also return to the nation’s home screens with a Christmas edition of their improvised musical livestream. Stream the event live on 22 December at 7.30pm, or catch up anytime for up to seven days afterwards.

Brigid Shine