Year after year, swarms of improv performers flood onto the streets of Edinburgh, proclaiming their show to be the most different, most unique, and most thrilling yet. There is quite literally improv to be found everywhere you turn, remaining one of the most consistent elements of the Fringe. To have found such a niche as Shakespearean improv and to deliver on the demands of both improv and classic theatre is truly a theatrical feat.
ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show consists of four actors, alternating each show from their troupe of nine, taking prompts from audiences to craft a Shakespeare-inspired play on the spot. They start by letting viewers decide what format they want to see (a comedy, history, or in the show I saw, a tragedy), a setting, and then asking for the name and details of a real-life nemesis. Using these, alongside phrases and quotes written down by the audience before entering the auditorium to be performed verbatim, the troupe manages to craft a show that feels both novel and innately Shakespearean.
This specific performance saw an audience member’s villainous former housemate transformed into a multifaceted Machiavellian character who used her beauty and cleanliness to distract from her manipulation and puppeteering tendencies. The cast remain open to exploring different possibilities for the duration of the show, leaving it up to fate (and hilariously ill-timed, audience-provided lines) to decide how the plot plays out.
They manage to parody a centuries-old and well-recognised dramatic form without crossing the line into disrespect. The show itself, despite feeling unavoidably formulaic and routine at times, creates a vibrant atmosphere that embraces rather than denies the complete absurdity of Shakespeare. They include all the key elements of a Shakespearean tragedy, crafting a tale of murder, deceit, disguise, and betrayal, even featuring a ghostly figure coming back to haunt a character’s consciousness.
Despite using an inevitably risky and unreliable form, you can expect good improv and quick thinking from this show. The actors are clearly well-versed in Shakespearean patterns, managing to be open to suggestions while staying true to centuries old source material.
ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show is running until 31 August at Wine Bar at Gilded Balloon Teviot.
Buy tickets here.
Image by Stefan Hanegraaf / ShakeItUp Theatre Company, provided to The Student as press material.
