Review: THE IMPROVISED SHAKESPEARE SHOW, The Other Palace

“Thou art most strange and yet my face now hath a smile”

The Improvised Shakespeare Show is a show that has a self-describing title - a group of actors improvises a show based on the style of Shakespeare. At this particular performance, we were treated to a double bill of shows, with each lasting approximately one hour. The cast rotates between members of the ShakeItUp Improv troupe, making multiple visits even more appealing as there may be an entirely different cast the next time you go.

At this particular performances, the cast was made up of Frederick Di Rosa, James Dart (who is also the Artistic Director), Abigail Forman, Maddie Hatt and James Alston, with Joe Prestwich providing musical accompaniment (presumably guided by Music Director Ed Kaye). 

At the start of each play, the audience members choose the genre - will it be a comedy, tragedy or history play? They are then tasked with giving the protagonist of the story a name and then the location where the story will take place, with the actors asking for some information in order to build upon what they’ve been given. For the second story, we are tasked with choosing which of the characters from the first story would become the main character, judged by the level of our cheers. In a hilarious moment, Keith received nothing but silence, leading to the actor jokingly storming off the stage and exiting the theatre.

Our first story was a history play about Keith of Southend, a prince battling his brother, King Harold, for the longest pier (which leads to quite a few suggestive jokes throughout). Our second story, this time a comedy, focused on Clarissa of Glasgow, the wife of the late King Harold (spoiler alert for a story that will never be told again), and her son, Harold.

The performances throughout the two plays range from dramatic to very funny, with some including an actor barking like a dog to emphasise that they are Lord Barking while others have an actor performing a dark soliloquy while trapped in the pier’s Hall of Mirrors. Of course, the death scenes are dramatically comedic, including a brilliant slap flight between Clarissa and Keith, which gave us the iconic line, “Thankfully I brought my slapping gloves.” There is also a mixing of Shakespearean and modern language, lead to lines like “Nay, my dear bro” and “Quick! While he’s soliloquying.”

One of the highlights of The Improvised Shakespeare Show is its audience interactions. Before the show, audience members are given slips of paper and are asked to write down lines, Shakespearean or not. The actors take a few of these slips of paper each and put them into their pantaloons, whipping them out for dramatic moments in the show. This can go several ways. Sometimes, the line will make no sense regarding the current scene. At other times, the actor will somehow be able to make it relate to their current situation. Finally, there are the truly spectacular moments in which the line is perfect for the scene. All of these led to great laughter and occasionally some applause!

There are a few stumbles when it comes to the actors coming up with lines, but this is to be expected from an improv show, especially a comedy in which the actors are breaking in response to one another! I would much rather a few stumbles and the actors clearly having fun versus a boring show.

The costumes, designed by Silvia Manazzone, are simple yet effective, and I loved seeing the actors use their capes to transform them into other characters, usually turning them into skirts to be portraying a female character. If one thing could be improved, it would be the lighting, as it was quite bright and distracting, especially when it would change in the middle of scenes, sometimes hitting audiences members and leaving them momentarily unable to see the stage. 

The Improvised Shakespeare Show is a hilarious Shakespearean version of improvisational comedy, with each performer bringing in their own acting style to make every scene unique. 

The Improvised Shakespeare Show runs until 13 July at The Other Palace.

To post a comment, you must register and login.