Box of Frogs – Liverpool Improvisation Festival – Unity Theatre

This show is a fast-paced style of improvisation, for those of us who are old enough to remember ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’, you will get the idea of how this works.  No Clive Anderson, but they do short-form gymnastics in the same way as the ‘Whose Line…’ crew.

They begin by asking for suggestions from the audience, and poor Robert Wilson whoever you are, you were the choice of child that someone didn’t like at school, and they played a game of ‘Story, Story, Die!’, where three of the company must keep a story going or die, a bit like it’s a knockout improv.  This is a good game to warm up the audience, as it shows off the skills of the improvisers and the speed of their reflexes. 

To show off their improvised music, the ensemble pulled together a song about scabies called ‘I Got The Scabies Blues’, and even though their singing is not up to the standard of Showstopper!, they are inventive, and their keen wit is their ultimate strength here. 

This type of short-form show does highlight the company’s strength at moving between different improvisation disciplines very quickly, and it is re-assuringly fresh, as most scenes are born from the suggestions elicited from the audience.  I always find that audiences get behind companies that do this, as they feel like they have a stake in the success of the interpretation of their suggestions.  It almost feels risky, like a trapeze artist taking to the high wire, will they be able to make it to the end without faltering? 

For a new person coming along to watch improv, I would recommend seeing a show such as this one, as it is diverse, and offers a wide perspective of the skills that are formed within their improvisation procedures.  Within this one show, we saw the team of four develop songs, create stories under restrictive measures, play games, devise poetry, and they sang an Opera called ‘Cats Are Stupid’ in two languages.

These talented players are one to watch out for, especially if they have a larger team available which would enhance their offering, as I did feel that they were stretched to take on successfully the amount of tasks set, within their allotted time.

Even though the festival is over, you will be able to find out further details of upcoming shows, previews, reviews, and about the companies involved in the festival by going to – https://www.liverpoolimprovfestival.com/

Reviewed: Caroline Worswick

Reviewed: 26^th April 2025

North West End UK Rating: