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Last week, I saw the world premiere of a new musical which blew my socks off. Bringing together influences of reggae, Sondheim, Brecht, Artaud and many more, Showstopper! The Musical was – on this occasion – a tale of forbidden love against the background of the first ever Leeds Festival. In 1809. With hot air balloons. Showstopper! is pretty much unique – a long-form improvised musical extravaganza which is completely improvised based on audience suggestions. A hugely talented team of performers begin with the contrivance that Cameron Mackintosh wants to put on their show – but it hasn’t been written yet. They beg for our help. So we shout out ideas of musical styles, plotlines, and the team put it all seamlessly together.
If you’re a fan of improvisation of any kind, and you haven’t seen Showstopper! yet, all I have to say to you is this – sort it out. I’m hardly a music theatre fan myself – although the odd one is terrific – but the joy of Showstopper! is in the skill with which all the different styles and influences are integrated. On the night I saw it, the sequence in which a key plot point was acted out using a range of theatrical styles suggested by the audience was a particular highlight. The audience – which evidently contained quite a large number of theatre students – shouted out “Brecht”and “Artaud”. Obvious choices maybe but the switch between the cool clarity of the Brecht pastiche, into the full-on Artaudian craziness, was brilliantly executed. To add to the abstract craziness of the whole show another audience member suggested that it should all be set in Birmingham Airport Parking – a place no body wants to be trapped in for too long!
Above all, it was very, very funny. But the beautiful thing is that it never feels that the Showstopper! team are gunning for laughs. The humour always comes from the strongest way of telling the story, and the dramaturgy is superb. Admirers of musical theatre, comedy, improvisation – or just great performances – check it out.