Absurdocles: An Improvised Greek Tragedy – Camden Comedy Club

Hilarious, impromptu and very Greek!

Absurdocles has a group of improvisers weave a unique tale for one night only! Expect a Greek chorus, many fun characters, classic tongas and countless chortles. Without wasting too much time, the troupe picks on suggestions from the audience like names, their dream profession as a child and their favourite thing and strides forward to set up the premise of the story they paint for us over the next hour. In the show that night, we watched Lora, Anis, Miriam, Chris, and Nadir in white Greek togas camouflaging their modern wear.

Time flies when you are having fun! The hour passed by sooner than we expected! Team Absurdacles have you gaping at how quickly they can pull out these characters, word associations and deeper relationships. The stage at the Camden comedy club might only be 12 steps long, but that was no deterrent to the energetic team to splash the stage with varied locations for their Greek romance and tragedy. We travelled from the ploughed farmland to the vast Coliseum. Like any Greek drama, they managed to weave tales of desire, rejection, and competition.

They added an extra chuckle by bringing in scrolls of self-help books and perhaps a YouTube channel subscription! On being met with loud Dj music from the venue below, the team added gyrations and a party to the set. It would be nice for venues trying to increase revenue not to pitch one art form against another mid-show. However, the team demonstrated the subtle art of not giving a fig!

The team incorporated all the suggestions they took from the audience. It transformed into a melange like a cake of hair because of the famine, wicker-made helicopters, quarrelling conjoined siblings and angry Gods who relished grapes, olives and cigarettes. They also shared great camaraderie on stage, with well-timed edits, determined expressions and enthusiastic team support.

Team Absurdacles got together while learning improv at Free Association through the five levels. Their teacher Alex Holland helped them form the group during the performance lab in January 2023. Their passion for improvisation and a seriously good team admin have them doing a show or two every month at different venues across London. The original cast of ten participates, each to their schedule and capacity. Going by the sold-out show, this company is here to stay and is a perfect addition to your fun night out in town.

Reviewer: Anisha Pucadyil

Reviewed: 19th August 2023

North West End UK Rating: