ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show, Other Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House Review
Written by Kerry McLaughlin for Theatre & Tonic
There’s improvising, then there’s improvising in Shakespearean. This particular performance was a “tragedy” set in a laser tag arcade, something that one actor said, “I was told by my acting director not to take bizarre ones, but I feel like we have to do that one” But somehow it worked, and worked well.
Prior to the show, the actors wrote lines for each other to say throughout. Not every one landed well within the context of the story, but it was a laugh nonetheless. My particular favourite was the oven being left on, which the actor then had to turn into a New Zealand shanty-style song.
The cast doesn’t take itself too seriously, even with the Shakespearean dialogue; they all bounce off each other’s ideas instantly, making it seem like they’ve been rehearsing that exact script for weeks. The benefit of improv is that there’s really something for everyone, giving creative control to the audience from the get-go pulls them in, making them feel important and in control of the performance.
ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show plays at Other Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House until 25 August
★ ★ ★ ★
