The Improvised Shakespeare Show Archives

How do you review a show which changes every night? Which is what ShakeiTuP: The Improvised Shakespeare Show which is currently playing at the Other Palace Theatre studio claims to do. The format of the show is that at the beginning of the first half the audience is asked, by acclamation, to choose which of the three genres of Shakespeare's plays; histories, comedies and tragedies they would like to see. On press night we chose histories. The audience is then then asked to suggest a lead character. Avoiding obvious suggestions like King Charles, possibly for fear of litigation, an audience member suggested a friend of theirs, an entrepreneur and horticulturalist: so, King Keith it was. Suggestions were then asked for a location and from various improbable suggest...

There is nothing I like more than spending an hour watching an improvised show, and I always make sure that my Edinburgh Fringe Festival visits have at least one impro show on my list. This time it’s the turn of ‘ShakeItUp,’ who create a show entirely from the suggestions given by the audience, then perform the show in the style of a Shakespeare play. Now, I have to admit to being a regular visitor to impro shows performed by ‘The School of Night’, who set the bar very high in terms improvising Shakespeare, so I was keen to see whether this troupe (for the want of a better name), could surpass my high expectations. So today, the audience was offered the choice of a history, comedy or tragedy play, and comedy won by a close margin. Next, the name the person yo...

Tag: The Improvised Shakespeare Show

ShakeiTuP: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – The Other Palace

ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show – Gilded Balloon Teviot