Review of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical
Thursday 28 May 2026
Perth Concert Hall, by Garry Fraser
I’m sure quite a few of the audience on Thursday night in the Perth Concert Hall have had some experience on the stage in an amateur capacity. Likewise, some of them will have had the need to improvise or ad lib at some point. However, such improvisation falls miles short when compared to the cast of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. For the fantastic five on stage, everything – song, dance, dialogue – was impromptu, with nothing prepared in advance. This led to one of the most entertaining nights I’ve ever experienced, a masterclass of spur-of-the-moment theatrical invention.
Taking suggestions from the audience – setting and style of performance – they put on a musical, one of which had anyone popped in without knowing what was about, they would have thought it was a “real” musical, such was the quality in every aspect of the production.
"This led to one of the most entertaining nights I’ve ever experienced, a masterclass of spur-of-the-moment theatrical invention."
The setting was “a travelling circus stuck in a departure lounge” in the style of “Circus du Soleil”. What a hoot it turned out to be, a class act in spontaneous improvisation. The dialogue was sharp and witty, the songs cleverly intertwined with the plot, and when I say “plot” it was one of fanciful imagination but hilarious all the same! They were also quick to seize the opportunity for a gag or two, like when a radio mike malfunctioned.
There was some continuity, ingeniously manufactured – tuna and cucumber rolls was a popular repetition – and they also managed to include other audience specifications, with the opening of the second act a la Sunshine on Leith along with the scenario of a runaway train in Fife. Brilliant stuff!
Somehow, the story ended in Fife, Pittenweem to be exact. Fife folk got some pelters, it must be said, but who could take offence? Rather feel chuffed that, somehow, the Kingdom was woven into the plot.
One should never forget that all this was done with the accompaniment of keyboard and drums. There was improvisation there, too, as music and rhythm was manufactured on the spot.
This was pure unadulterated entertainment with a capital “E”. This troupe sell out on the Edinburgh Fringe. How it wasn’t sold out on Thursday beats me. Those who missed it, missed out. If they had been running for two nights, I would have gladly gone along for another dose of this brilliant entertainment!
