It is normally in the formula of reviews to give a synopsis of the show in order for the reader to make an informed decision about whether this is something they want to see or not, almost regardless of the reviewer’s personal opinion on the show. Obviously, by the very nature of Showstopper!:The Improvised Musical, this is a fool’s errand as an audience will never get the same show twice.
However, every show starts with the ringing phone which is answered by The Narrator/Story Teller. They have a conversation with “the producer” (humorously referred to as Cameron in the show I saw) and assures him that he will have a brand-new musical finished for him by 9.30pm that night. They then take suggestions from the audience (not only live, but in the interval via Twitter) for setting, title, song styles and plot points, and the actors and musicians do the rest.
The show I saw was set in a Swiss ski chalet called Songs in The Ski of Life about a lesbian couple who end up on the same holiday as their now divorced husbands. The highlights of this were a song about polyamory called ‘Let’s take a ride with a third wheel’ and a yodelled Moulin Rouge-style song with the refrain ‘yodel ay hee hoo, yodel ay hee hoo, yodel ay hee hoo, yodel ay me, and yodel ay you’.
I saw Showstopper back when I was a student in around 2009 at a tiny pub theatre in Angel,
The best way of describing Showstopper is that is the most impressive magic trick: they conjure something out of nothing. Last night was for me a reminder that the people who shout out suggestions at improv shows are not necessarily the people you want to be shouting things out, and yet the cast and band took the play-doh and made like Michael Angelo. Each member of the company is clearly an astonishing actor/singer in their own right but they add up to so much more than the sum of the parts. They all clearly have an ingrained knowledge of both musical and narrative structure which lets them put together a complete feeling piece. Joy is even to be taken in the moments when things are hurtling wildly out of control (such as introducing two Soviet spy characters just before the end of the show) as you have absolute belief in their ability to find a way out.
If I had a minor gripe, it would be that the suggestions for musical styles were only to be from musicals. It would give more variety if they took suggestions for more broad musical genres (opera, hip-hop, rock etc). But no matter what night you go, Showstopper!:The Improvised Musical is a joyous way to spend an evening. With a cast and band as talented as this, you’ll be in good hands.