I like to start my day off with a smile and a good laugh. A comedy show just before lunch time is perfect to get you into the swing of things on a Fringe day. I got into Edinburgh at 11am to catch Aaand Now For Something Completely Improvised at 11:45 and it was worth getting up at 8am for. Racing Minds is the theatre company behind this fun show and have strongly established themselves as a leading improv theatre group at the Edinburgh Fringe.
The quintet hand over the
control with the audience, involving us as soon as we step through the door.
Welcoming us is the Butler who hands out sweets (the no sweets from strangers
rule goes out the window), and Grandad trying to remember the characters of his
storybook to read to his grandchildren. Over to the audience where, on this
occasion, audience members named the book's antagonist Cedric, and it's set in
Narnia (think copyright rule goes through the window too) and is secretly the
'love child of Donald Trump'.
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| Image from Pleasance.co.uk |
Keeping to this skeleton of a plot, 4 actors,
kept in time with live music from Dylan Townley, takes us on a unpredictable
journey as they tell the story, switching characters and costumes with smart
wit and questionably below the belt one liners. I don't know if it was the
Trump influence, but in this case, there were a lot of political comments,
showing they weren't afraid to show their stance or highlight controversial
topics. As one of the actors kept bringing up Turkey in his jokes, the other
actors awkwardly looked at each other until someone else interrupted by
highlighting how they might end up in prison. The jokes then moved on to Trump
himself which became a good catalyst for the turning point and, oddly enough,
saviour of the day.
Jokes aside, the topics
that were highlighted throughout proved an awareness of what has, and currently
is going on in the world. Although they are a comedic group, they prove their
intelligence, and an English degree in some cases, which gains my respect and
gave the audience ‘food for thought’. Described as a ‘family show’, although
they gave the adults lines to giggle at, the over the top, dislocated arm
movements, from actor Daniel Roberts had the audience in tears as he knocked
over the bit of the set.
The show is perfectly imperfect,
and nor do they take them selves seriously, but they do guarantee a seriously
good laugh and an enjoyable afternoon. No two will ever be the same and with
every year they return to the Fringe, they are sure becoming one of the best
improvisation groups to star.
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