By Kat Mokrynski

Have you ever done improv? Have you thought, “Hey, this isn’t too difficult! I could do this!” Now what about if you were improvising an entire musical on the spot, on the West End? The concept of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is quite simple. A writer needs to have a brand new musical written by the end of the night, and it’s up to the audience to help them! Using suggestions of settings, musical styles, and the title of the show, the Showstopper actors and musicians will come up with an entire musical in front of your very eyes. And don’t worry if you’re not a fan of audience participation – If you want to make a suggestion you just raise your hand, so all of the introverts in the audience can just sit and watch the chaos unfold around them. 

The set is quite simple, with the Writer having a desk, chair, chalkboard, and red phone (used to communicate with the producer, “Cameron”) and the actors working with two sets of stairs, tables, and chairs. There is also a large structure in the back where the actors can disappear and get changed into other characters while still observing what is going on in the show. The Showstoppers that night were Sean McCann (The Writer), Pippa Evans (Claire), Lauren Shearing (Anneblle), Ruth Bratt (Marjorie), Ethan Pascal Peters (Greg), Adam Megiddo (Marco), and Andrew Pugsley (Polo), with Christopher Ash as the Music Director, Andrew Wolf on reed, and Nathan Gregory as the percussionist. Ethan Pascal Peters actually made his West End debut, which was so exciting to be a part of!

At the performance I attended, our setting was “The Women’s Institute of Mansplaining” and the show would include songs inspired by Something Rotten!, Hamilton, The Muppets, and MJ The Musical. When the Writer asked the audience for a title, I decided to go with the most classic mansplaining saying in the book, “Um, actually . . .,” which ended up being our musical’s title! Evans starred as Claire, a leader of the Women’s Institute who has a past with Marco (Meggido), a misogynistic and egotistical man never seen without his beret. She is joined by Marjorie and Annabelle (the wonderful Shearing and Bratt), who may have secrets about their own relationship. Rounding out the colourful cast of characters is a group of men who fail to understand what is wrong with their behavior, led by Polo (Pugsley) and eagerly joined by Gregr (Peters). 

I am in awe of the ability of both the cast members and the musicians who were able to come up with songs and dramatic scenes on a whim that were not only good, but catchy and memorable! I still find myself humming along to the finale song, “Power,” a catchy anthem about how everyone has power, not just because they’re a man or a woman. Christopher Ash does a fantastic job directing the band and ensuring that everyone stays on track, quick to make eye contact with the performers to ensure everything is going well. 

Ultimately, Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is an incredible feat of improvisational theatre that will have you leaving in awe of the people on stage. The Showstoppers are some of the greatest minds on the West End and I cannot wait to see Showstopper! again!

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical runs at the Cambridge Theatre on select Mondays – 17 July, 16 October, 30 October, 13 November, 27 November and 18 December. Tickets can be purchased here.