ONCE upon a time in a land of make-em ups, Liverpool’s Kazimier became a dark enchanted wood.
And programme notes for the 6th annual Improvathon pay a final thanks “to the late, great Ken Campbell for starting all this nonsense”. It’s his shining light that guides Impropriety (“because sometimes life is better when it’s not completely proper”), the merry band of players bringing us this weekend of inspired lunacy in association with Canadaland's legendary Improv troupe Die-Nasty.
Thirty-three and a half hours of improvised acting madness is most certainly not for everyone: it’s punishing for both audience and actors alike.
That was the way Ken liked it, you see. It has a purpose, which was revealed as the show neared its climax.
Readers familiar with the life and work of Campbell will remember the famous question he asked of Bill Drummond when they were working on The Illuminatus! at Peter O’Halligan’s Liverpool School of Language, Music, Dream and Pun in 1976: “Is it heroic?”
Oberon’s funeral scene in the penultimate episode was genuinely moving. THIS is what you get after 30 hours of performance, and the real meat of the method: emotional honesty
Judged by that simple, yet profound, yardstick, all involved in this year’s Improvathon deserve medals made of magic chocolate.
They were way more heroic than your humble reviewer, who only managed 16 hours (it comes to something when attending a show for 16 hours makes you a lightweight).
The Kaz is decorated in the style of a magical fairytale kingdom: giant flowers, wishing well, magic mirror and the like. The band, above the stage, were excellent throughout, immesurably adding to the atmosphere and enticing the performers to burst into song at any given moment.
The bulk of the action happened on the octagonal dancefloor, with some scenes taking place on a couch on the stage. The fun kicked off at 1pm on the Saturday afternoon, and didn’t end until 10.30pm on Sunday night.
The plot involved various fairytale and human characters, tangled up in a scheme to drive a huge motorway through the enchanted wood. Or at least that was the jumping off point. This was only loosely followed by the talented ensemble, who proceeded to conjure an epic involving multiple quests, regicide, religion, transformation and especially MAGIC.
Be careful what you wish for….
The core cast of characters were a very naughty Hansel, Teresa Grey from the Highways Agency, Jack Frost, the irrepressible ‘yoofs’ of the show Shaun the Faun and Winnie the Centaur (my personal faves). Later on, they’d be joined by the puppets Peter the Griffin and Whispy Neil, Gretal, Shaun Colt (fairy-hunter), Princess Esmerelda with her giant ear, Scouse Tea Bag lady with her magical teabag, Ivy F the fertility fairy, a sexy cobbler and many more besides.
It was consistently funny, punny and surprising, as the best improvisation is.
The cast constantly pushed and supported each other, often hilariously so, revelling in putting each other on the spot. Inevitably, not everything was comedy gold. It was hard to keep up at times, probably because we were knackered just watching them, especially around half way in when accents and memories started to slip.
If you missed an episode, you’d find that the plot had veered in some mad new direction. I got off around 11.30pm to see the fantastic Macka B play Dubabuse at the East Village Arts Club. When I got back at 4am, it was a bit of a car crash; everyone seemed to hit a collective wall. You could feel the cast fighting delirium and the urge to just stop and sleep.
Which is what I did. As I said: lightweight.
Oberon’s funeral scene in the penultimate episode was genuinely moving.
THIS is what you get after 30 hours of performance, and the real meat of the method: emotional honesty. All the layers of technique and artifice are blasted away by the exhaustion, leaving something real and substantial.
It wasn’t just the audience that were engaged: the actors, by now at various degrees of ragged, were visibly moved, too.
Overall it was like a granola bar: some bits you like, other bits you like not so much, but overall, a deeply nourishing experience.And that was that. Seventeen shifts over 33 ½ hours, powered by at least 36 performers, 16 musicians, 17 volunteers, lots of caffeine, love and sheer determination.
A special mention to Rosie the Director and Narrator, who managed to keep it all from falling apart and still emerge smiling at the end.
Also to audience member Sam, who stayed for every single minute and only
looked to be mildly hallucinating as he popped his cork.
A truly mammoth and heroic event of which Ken would be proud.
Happily Ever After? You betcha!
8/10
