On Friday the 21st of October, 'Showstopper! The Improvised Musical' came to the Marlowe Theatre as part of the Canterbury Festival. Winner of a 2016 Olivier award, the cast improvises the entire musical based on audience suggestions. Canterbury chose to set their play in Ikea, using songs in the styles of familiar musicals like Grease and Mamma Mia; but with original, Ikea- related lyrics.
The plot materialised before our eyes as we met regional manager John struggling after his wife's passing. His job was then taken by a fellow worker Gareth, out of vengeance. Then, it ultimately fell to John to save Ikea Canterbury. Meanwhile Harry was tasked to create the perfect meatballs, giving the play its apt title 'Meatballs.'
Showstopper was a clear comedic success, every moment was filled with laughter. The sense of dramatic irony, witticisms, and comedic dance moves all relied upon the experience and fast thinking of the cast. They characterised each role differently whilst remaining charismatic and comically alluded to their being in a play, like when they challenged each other to speak in Latin.
Another successful moment occurred when the onstage writer interrupted the action to force comically silly fish puppets to sing. The writer also helpfully pointed out moments where our suggestions were being used, showing our genuine influence. During the interval the audience were even invited to tweet the ending, which we voted for by clapping. Memorable moments also include the workers joining a rock choir, which was aided by sunglasses and beanies and was thoroughly enjoyed by the audience, especially the choir that had suggested this.
Whilst there were a few inevitable mistakes, the characters made jokes out of these moments and I felt it added to the authenticity of the play.
Overall it was a sophisticated performance, with clever references to Ikea, e.g. Alan keys, aisle 3 and meatballs, as well as cultural references like questioning the meat content of the meatballs. This was heightened by the absurd ingredients like stray cats, Danish chairs and complaining customers, which were mentioned throughout the play as a running joke. Instead of being a restriction the simplistic set and costumes created freedom, and the creative effort produced an ingenious concept that is sure to entertain many more audiences with its charm and originality.
I'm glad you really liked the show! I look forward to trying to see it myself if I can.