SHOWSTOPPER! THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL created by Adam Meggido and Dylan Emery (James Seabright, Kevin McCollum, Corey Ross/Starvox/Julius Green). At Panasonic (651 Yonge). Runs to June 25. $25-$79. mirvish.com. See listing. Rating: NNNN
The idea of an improvised musical is nothing new, especially for anyone whos seen stellar local shows like One Night Only: The Greatest Musical Never Written or Songbuster.
But the hugely popular UK-based troupe Showstoppers veterans of the Edinburgh Festival and Londons West End are among the best, providing a well-structured, snappy two-act musical with a sense of urgency, lots of wit and plenty of audience participation.
Co-creator Dylan Emery plays the narrator, whos just found out from a producer that he has to deliver a new musical in roughly two hours. Through audience suggestions and voting, he comes up with a setting (in the matinee I attended, a bank robbery), styles of music (West Side Story, Hamilton, Assassins and Jersey Boys) and title (Banks For The Memories).
Then its up to the talented ensemble and four-piece band, often prodded by Emery to do a number in one of the styles, to create the first half. During intermission, were encouraged to tweet our suggestions for set pieces, plot twists and revelations, which may or may not appear in the second half.
Like any first-rate improv group, the Showstoppers make things look easy. It helps that they establish relationships, backstories and conflicts early on.
Standouts at my show included Pippa Evanss thief Julia, who may not have done much with her safe-cracking skills but definitely pulled us in detailing her characters romantic pasts with the groups men, which resulted in a brilliant series of duets with each of them in act two.
The ensemble isnt afraid of setting up challenges for themselves or even making fun of their mistakes. Justin Bretts turn as a blind getaway driver and car mechanic living in Mexico employed lots of clever physicality, while Lucy Trodds early comments recounting something wed just seen got her character labelled Obvious Susan.
And Adam Meggido gets full marks for ambition for his Mission Impossible-style sequence in which his one-eyed robber kills, then impersonates a bank exec, even if the scene didnt completely work.
It helps that the performers are all fine singers, many with legitimate musical credits. Meggidos song about putting together the robbery was full of clever Sondheimesque wordplay, while Andrew Pugsley nailed an early number mimicking the Jersey Boys falsetto.
A couple of these ad-libbed numbers were so catchy I found myself humming them after the show. Which is something most written musicals have a hard time pulling off.
