Anna Burnside reviews a production that impresses fans and non-fans of musicals alike.
A musical set on a booze cruise in the style of Hamilton, Cats and Choir of Man. What could possibly go wrong?
That’s the questions that the cast of Showstopper! must ask themselves every night as they embark on an improvised show dictated by the whims of a sweaty audience of musical theatre maniacs shoehorned into a converted gym.
For people who don’t live for this genre, some of it is bewildering. The audience-selected title, “Not Going To Throw Away My Shots” is a Hamilton reference. Yes, I had to google it.
But even those of us unfamiliar with Choir of Man can’t help but be impressed with the way six performers, two musicians and a narrator-ringmaster-guitar player pull this off every night.
There are some great comic moments - a badminton match, a chaotic game of roulette in the booze cruise casino. The Cats moment comes when two of the cast put on hats and become an ocelot and a bear.
Their off-the-cuff piece of whimsy is better than anything I remember from the OG.
A final rap, with a clever take on being in the room, is a worthy nod to Hamilton.
Has this changed my mind about musicals? Not really. Was it a fun way to spend 70 minutes? That will be a big arm-waving acapella “yes”.
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Showstopper! The Improvised Musical performs at the Pleasance Courtyard from 1730-1840 until August 25, 2024.
Photo by Ray Burmiston.
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