Three for the price of one. A busy hour flashed by, we’ll try to remember…
First up were ImprompTwo (Kathy and Joe Rinaldi from across the pond) illustrating several comic aspects of a New York apartment block; the Deli on the ground floor where debates on sandwich fillings leads to a customer’s ejection, a couple’s upstairs apartment where debates concerning the title of a podcast (is it Love or Romance?) lead to some testy exchanges, and a further debate about what to do when an unwanted guest threatens a visit. Funny, entertaining, slick, with snappy dialogue, but was it improvised?
Next up were Nice Things (Charles Dundas and Steven Millar) who took the audience input and ran with it, kicking off with bus drivers Terry and Terence and the surreal suggestion that a small bus might situate itself within a bigger one. The warm fuzzy feeling generated by the sight of a dog looking up at its owner was grandly turned on its head and provided the champagne moment of the evening: The ‘dog’, in response to the accusation ‘have you been smoking?’ and the implication his only interests were food and walks, confesses to having been under the spell of a French poodle, locating hitherto unknown reserves of philosophy and intellect. Presumably from a chaise longue (not pictured). The excitement another audience member felt when encountering Hot Dog purveyors led to Charles being bullied into playing almost every Muppet, the duo nearly imploding in fine fashion. These two definitely looked as if they were making it up as they were going along.
Last up were Hog (Alison Thea-Skot and Alex Holland), presenting the most polished of routines starting with a Wordle exchange, an employment offer from WH Smiths and an hilarious take on the life of a call centre worker. The selection of a DVD film for a date provided humorous tension, bookended by a Romeo & Juliet-esque catastrophe.
This was a great hour of early Saturday evening entertainment, genuinely funny, but lacking – in the main – the jeopardy, that essential seat-of-the-pants thrill. Has improv become a bit more of a science?
Reviewer: Roger Jacobs
Reviewed: 22nd March 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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