For those who haven’t yet experienced the live phenomenon that is ‘Showstopper! The Improvised Musical’, the show is a fully-realised musical created on the spot from audience suggestions. The cast take ideas for settings, genres, musical styles and the show title and weave it into ingenious storylines with hilarious characters.
From Lin Manuel Miranda to Stephen Sondheim, whether it’s set in a primary school, Ancient Egypt, or a mattress shop – if the audience thinks it, The Showstoppers can turn it into a hit musical.
Most of the cast have also earned acclaim in their own right. Founder member Ruth Bratt is in the famous Comedy Store Players, the longest running impro show in the country; Pippa Evans is a regular on BBC Radio 4 – and is currently on tour with I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue; and co-founder Adam Meggido directed the West End and Broadway hit show Peter Pan Goes Wrong. The Showtsoppers also regularly run improvisation workshops and courses for beginners and professionals and create hilarious and insightful interviews with theatre stars in The Showstopper! Podcast.
The Showstoppers have performed created more than 1,000 brand new musicals since they were formed in 2008 but they don’t stop working hard at their craft – they have to learn to improvise in the style of every hit show that comes to town and they always encourage audiences to challenge them and keep them on their toes. As a result, they continue fill theatres, delight audiences and win awards. Playbill named them pick of the Fringe in Edinburgh last year and they were the third-highest reviewed show of the entire festival, no mean feat in their 14th year.