"Showstopper! The Improvised Musical"

Nottingham Playhouse.

Here's a show that has been going since 2008. It has had eleven sell-out years at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, two West End runs, an Olivier award and a BBC Radio 4 series. I'd heard of the show several times over the years but haven't, until this evening, actually seen it. Needless to say from the title itself, every show is different so nobody sees the same show on two different visits, so every performance is a "one off" production.

A brand new musical comedy is created from scratch at each performance of this show as audience suggestions are transformed on the spot into all-singing, all dancing productions. In the show, the audience meets a writer of musicals who is on a deadline – he needs their help. The audience shout out suggestions of a setting, musical styles and the title of the show, in this case "G-60 Plus", and they’re off! Just like that! Every night is a premiere.

On Thursday night the musicals proffered by the audience were "Blood Brothers", "Chicago", Heathers" and "Hamilton" and the setting for the musical and theme was a residential end of life home for world leaders. There were also homages to "Phantom Of the Opera" and "Bugsy Malone" in the second act, also chosen by the audience through Showstoppers' Instagram.

We were treated to appearances from Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon and even Donald Trump. All residents in a home for the former leaders, but what was with the rose garden, with roses that had no aroma? Was there something in the medication that was being administered by the Major there, and we also found out why it was not a good idea to get on the wrong side of Matron!! And who would win the love thrupple between Maggie T, Nappy Bonaparte and Winnie Churchill, if anyone?

Showstoppers have a big cast of members that can be called upon for their various venues and performances and tonight there was Sean McCann as the writer in this performance with Justin Brett, Dylan Emery, Ali James and Adam Meggido - I'm hoping that these cast members were correct as the playbill just lists the company actors, which number twenty. 

Providing the musical accompaniment was Duncan Walsh Atkins, who is also the Musical Supervisor, on keys and Alex Atty on percussion.

Produced by Keith Strachan, Adam Meggido and Dylan Emery.

Co-created and Directed by Adam Meggido and Dylan Emery.

Lighting Designer is Damian Robertson, who is also the Lighting Improvisor along with Alex Dowding.

What is so impressive and insanely clever about this show is that not one of the actors know what they are going to be doing, singing or saying until they are on stage and the improvisation starts, after which they all take their leads and cues from the person before them.

What is also incredibly clever is that the music is also created as the show goes on, so the vocals have to somehow fall in with the music created; the chorus and verses all created as the show goes on.

With none of the cast knowing what will be happening and where they are due to stand or move to and from, this must also be a great feat for the lighting operators. I've seen productions that have been in rehearsals for months and the lighting operators manage not to be able to get the lighting correct for the person on stage, so there is a lot of intuition and knowledge of how the people on stage work.

The story and the music is so well improvised that it makes you wonder why some shows that you see on big stages take so long to write, produce and stage when this group can create entertaining and memorable musicals on the spot for forty-five minutes an act.

It also highlights what musical theatre aficionados this cast are as they have an instant knowledge of whatever musical the audience throw them, which is incredibly impressive. 

This is theatre with a difference, completely unique, wonderfully silly and immensely entertaining. You can't even try to think where the storyline is going, because the cast themselves don't have that knowledge. 

Many, many years ago at school, I, and my classmates had drama as part of the English curriculum and we were put into groups to create on the spot ten minute dramas, and this show took me back to those school days and the English lessons, and just how much fun I had taking part in this activity and creating unique drama that went anywhere we wanted it to go, to act and react. I remember the fun, and you could tell by this cast's faces that they too were loving what they were doing on that stage tonight; and they get to do this on a regular basis.

"Showstopper! The Improvised Musical" was at the Nottingham Playhouse for one night only, but the Showstoppers are currently on tour, so try and catch them wherever you can, and as often as you can.