Review: Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show, Fringe 2024

“Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show” is a new name for a familiar show. Apropos of nothing, call it instinct; it’s about time for Suki’s name to appear in the title.

This Edinburgh run of the Improv chums has guest stars, and I did really well with the selection tonight. We had Kirsty Newton on keys, the incredible Mike McShane is as powerful as ever and the new to me Charlotte Gittins. Charlotte may have been my favourite.

Tonight, the audience could settle in the scaffolding heights of the Pleasance Grand as these five took prompts from the audience to whisk up comedy songs and scenes.

Is there a thing with Improvisational Theatre in which the performers concede they’re good at everything and so consign themselves to the role of improv hit? Why aren’t talents like Charlotte on all the stages, TV boxes and newspaper inches?

Despite the slightly new title and slightly new line up the Improv Show is in a very familiar format. If you’ve been to one before, then you won’t be surprised by this one. There’s a contraction there, I know.

Tone

Predictably, when asked for TV or theatre types, some bloke in the audience will shout out words like “pornography” with the overconfidence of someone who thinks that’s an original idea.

There are never any inappropriate scenes on the stage, but there is flirting, adult jokes, and language. Improv is real.

What I like about the vibe of the Improv Show is that these comedians are all clearly friends. There’s a trust and rapport that shines, though. It is infectious and reassuring. If you’ve been watching the show or its variants for as long as I have, then it’ll feel inclusive, too, almost as if the audience is part of it.

What to expect

In the first game, Kirsty settles down before the four improv stars and points to them. There are random suggestions from the audience, and when a comedian is being pointed out, they must continue the made-up story. Kirsty points suddenly and randomly to another performer, and they must immediately carry on the story without pause or being tripped up.

The audience is supposed to holla if they think a comedian has dropped the ball. That didn’t happen tonight. It rarely happens. Instead, these very quick-minded people hold themselves to a high standard and raise their hands to bow out if they think they aren’t good enough. If they didn’t then the whole show would be spent on this game.

I won’t detail the rest, but it’s that sort of thing. There’s the structure in the form of a game, some curated chaos from the audience and then minutes of improv on those lines.

I’m a fan, but I was hoping for more dramatic changes. No game felt new. I’m not against old favourites, but surely no one wants their improv spectacle to be too predictable.

It can get sweltering in Grand, and it takes the audience about a million years to find their seats and then, at the end of the show, to get out. Get there early if you need help, and don’t pack your next show too closely to the end of this.

Overall

I enjoyed tonight’s “Paul Merton and Suki Webster’s Improv Show.” Although I was a stranger in a crowd, it felt like seeing old friends again.

I liked all the games and all the quips and didn’t hate all the suggestions from the audience (so that’s better than usual).

Yet, though, I wish we’d been braver and bolder with the format. In a way, tonight’s Improv Show was too familiar, and I was looking forward to the unexpected.