Zombie-themed group, Improv the Dead, performed their one hour long-form improv show last night at the Bridewell Theatre as part of this year’s Camden Fringe festival. With shambling, moaning and sparkly intestines, they turn audience suggestions into a zombie film with more laughs than horror.
Last night’s show told the story of ‘Delay of the Dead’, where terrified TfL workers had to escape a zombie-infested Bakerloo line. Time travel, rat catching and experiments in cloning led to an underground teeming with the undead, who were eventually defeated by being trapped in the carriages of the London Eye, doomed to an eternity of circular sightseeing.
To start with, the story rambled a little, with scenes going on for too long with no real purpose. I was worried that we’d be in for an hour of this, but the group soon turned things around, introducing framing devices that moved the story on at the same time as adding an extra challenge for the performers. Director’s cuts showed earlier versions of the scene, and script writers told us why they’d decided to try things like starting every line with a consecutive letter of the alphabet.
The group of seven used some well-thought-out props to back up their theme – foam body parts, fluttering red circles of paper that conveyed sprays of blood whenever someone was bitten, and a small smoke machine to suggest a spooky atmosphere, although in this instance, it doubled as a steam train invented in 1603 and kept secret by TfL for over 200 years. The show could have done with being a bit tighter at the start, and some of the performers were clearly more experienced than others but there were plenty of laughs throughout, and the zombie film format is a great idea for long-form improv.
The Camden Fringe runs until the 30th of August, showcasing a wide variety of shows at venues around London. Tickets are available here: https://camdenfringe.com/
Reviewer: Charlotte Mansfield
Reviewed: 15th August 2026
North West End UK / Theatre Muse UK Rating:
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