British Comedy Guide

2014 Edinburgh Fringe

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical

  • Comedy (improv / music)
  • 10:30pm (70 mins)
  • 30 & 31 Jul; 1-20 & 22-24 Aug 2014
  • Gilded Balloon Teviot
  • £12 - £15
Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Copyright: Shiver Productions
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Venue

14: Gilded Balloon Teviot

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Gilded Balloon logo. Credit: Gilded Balloon

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A brand new musical comedy is created from scratch at every performance of this multi award-winning show. Audience suggestions are instantly transformed into an all-singing, all-dancing production with unpredictable and hilarious results. Now in their seventh year as an Edinburgh must-see phenomenon! With an acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series and four sell-out West End seasons to their name, The Showstoppers have delighted audiences across the globe with their ingenious blend of comedy, musical theatre, and spontaneity. 'A blast. Makes your jaw drop in impressed amazement and your ribs ache with laughter' ***** (Mail on Sunday).

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Press articles

The performers bringing US-style improv to the Fringe (Link expired)

Comedy performers are turning to America for inspiration in honing their sketch and character shows, finds Jay Richardson.

Jay Richardson, WOW247, 12th August 2014

Fleeting pleasures

Hugely popular at the Fringe, improvised comedy is de facto banned from the Festival's main award. Tom Hackett asks why.

Tom Hackett, Fest Mag, 3rd August 2014

Interview: Clive Anderson vs rising improv stars

BattleActs, Austentatious and more quiz the Whose Line is it Anyway? host.

The List, 22nd July 2014

Edinburgh Fringe 2014: our improv picks

Part art and part craft, improv can be dazzling in its execution, hugely entertaining and great fun. With the audience providing suggestions for characters, locations and other variables, every improv performance is, in theory, unique. There's over 70 improv shows to choose from at this year's Edinburgh Fringe; here's our selection of five shows for lovers of spontaneous fun.

Innes McQuillin, Giggle Beats, 8th July 2014

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Following another highly acclaimed, sell-out run at last year's Edinburgh Fringe and currently playing to packed crowds at the Udderbelly in London, the award-winning troupe The Showstoppers are back in Edinburgh with The Fantastical Story Factory show, which they premiered at last year's Fringe, as well as their relentlessly popular Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, which has become something of a Fringe institution.

Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
Whether you fancy a show set in Atlantis, Swindon or on a ski lift - featuring the musical styles of Lloyd Webber, Wagner or The Muppets - you suggest it and The Showstoppers will sing it!

The award-winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical is a comedy created completely from scratch at each performance, in which audience suggestions spontaneously become an all-singing, all-dancing show on the spot, with unpredictable and hilarious results.

The show has played sell-out seasons in London's West End, has been a must-see staple of the Edinburgh Fringe for six years, delighted audiences on tour around the world and has had its own BBC Radio 4 series.

The Fantastical Story Factory
Using only suggestions from children in the audience, a couple of props and a trusty band to supply music, The Fantastical Story Factory sees the Showstoppers create stories out of thin air. The process is simple: kids shout out what they would like to see, and the troupe creates a new musical adventure with the quick wits and musical creativity that have made them a hot ticket in Edinburgh over the last six years. Its focus on audience participation is a certain draw for children (and adults!) who like to get involved with the magic, but with the added incentive that the Showstoppers will do all the hard work in bringing brilliant songs, tremendous tales and colourful characters to life! Kids of all ages will be sure to love and remember this show.

Since 2008, The Showstoppers have cemented their reputation as the best musical improv group around, with acclaimed performances at numerous venues and festivals in the UK and abroad including Latitude, Udderbelly, The Cork Festival and many more. Accolades include winning Mervyn Stutter's Spirit Of The Fringe Award 2009 and nominations for Chortle Best Music Or Variety Act 2011, MTM Best Production Award 2009 and MTM Judges' Discretionary Award 2009. Besides their run at the Fringe, 2014 will see the group pitch their stall at Udderbelly in London once again, performing a run of shows between April and July.

Amongst others, The Showstoppers cast includes: co-founders Adam Meggido (artistic director of Extempore Theatre, writer, composer and holder of the world record for longest improv direction - 54 hours) and Dylan Emery (co-founder of Grand Theft Impro, veteran of the Fringe, performer at National Theatre/Royal Court and founder of thecrunchyfrogcollective.com); with Sarah-Louise Young, who was voted Best Musical Variety Act in the London Cabaret Awards and has performed her critically-acclaimed Cabaret Whore shows across the world; comedian and improviser Pippa Evans, who has had TV and stage success with Random Acts and Comedy Store Players; and Ruth Bratt, an improv Fringe regular for the last 11 years whose TV credits include Derek, Sarah Millican's Support Group and The Ministry Of Curious Stuff - to name just a few.

Performances

Date Time Venue
30th Jul 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
31st Jul 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
1st Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
2nd Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
3rd Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
4th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
5th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
6th Aug 2014 15:00 Gilded Balloon Teviot
6th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
7th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
8th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
9th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
10th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
11th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
12th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
13th Aug 2014 15:00 Gilded Balloon Teviot
13th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
14th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
15th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
16th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
17th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
18th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
19th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
20th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
22nd Aug 2014 19:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
23rd Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot
24th Aug 2014 22:30 Gilded Balloon Teviot

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