Review: THE LEAGUE OF IMPROV - SOPHIE DUKER, Underbelly Boulevard
An empty space, as Peter Brook famously wrote, is all you need for theatre to live and tonight, at the Underbelly Boulevard Soho, The League of Improv proved that fact. With just four chairs on the stage, a visual that could be seen as either terrifying or exciting, depending on your leanings to live comedy, they ad-libbed and clowned their way through a wonderfully entertaining evening.
The League of Improv are a comedy collective that relies on the audience deciding how the evening will turn out, a very risky and brave choice that has been at the heart of live improv since its conception. The format of the show is a simple one - a guest comic is given prompts from the audience, they then riff on the subject, followed by a free-flowing set of sketches by the eight improv actors.
The troupe are joined this evening by Sophie Duker, the rising star who burst onto the mainstream with her stunning and irreverent showing on Taskmaster, here proving with her charm and audience patter that she is the perfect foil for the talented ensemble. Duker had the audience in the palm of her hand, with her brutally honest musings on her time at Oxford to her failed trial at the Emirates Stadium, every prompt hive was gifted with a mini set that was at times both raw and riveting. The free-flowing nature of watching minds create something previously unspoken is a riveting watch.
The quick pace and spontaneous humor shown from the group is a joy to behold. The dedication to maintain a high level of comedy for over ninety minutes is extraordinary. The manner in which the performers went from counsellors who are ashamed of living in Deptford, to an interspecies relationship between man and spider are a sight to behold, clearly showing the talent and creativity of this marvellous collective.
The evenings themes ranged from threesomes to hiking, from Australia to the "family gun", and everything in between. You can tell how long the performers have worked with each other in their ability to bounce ideas from each over and know exactly where to take the action next, and when to change the scenarios. One of the highlights of the show is watching the comics corpse and break character at each other's material and spontaneity, highlighting the comics ability to still surprise each other.
Improvisation sometimes gets a bad rap but The League of Improv here prove that with the right material and the chemistry to match, it can stand toe to toe with any comedy show and leave you in absolute hysterics.
**** Four Stars
Reviewed by James Springthorpe
For more information, click here