Shake It Up - Wine Bar Teviot - Review

To quote another hit fringe show '...Earnest?', let's say 'Everyone struggles with Shakespeare'. It's a well known fact that learning and memorising the words of one of history's most famous writers, the great William Shakespeare, is incredibly difficult. The language is complicated and the plot lines a little bit confusing, so you would think that people would be out to make things are easy as possible when it comes to performing the bard, but in the case of Shake It Up, they are doing the exact opposite making it even harder for themselves by taking Shakespeare and adding improvisation.

Returning to the fringe and this year moving from Patter House to the newly reopened Teviot, still staying firmly in the Gilded Balloon family, Shake It Up Improv bring on the comedic chaos using the suggestions of the audience to create a history, comedy or tragedy using Shakespearean language and stylings which is completely made up as they go along. The audience choose what sort of story they want, where they want it to be set and throw in some ideas such as jobs or people they want to be included, and the talented cast create the story.

The story created on this occasion featured film studio workers in Paris, getting revenge on those who stole former lovers, trips to and from Nottingham, a poor women who just wanted someone to love her and pigeons who squeak in Paris, you had to be there. And as improvised comedy exists only in that moment for that one performance, you never will be. Only those in that room at that moment got to experience the madness of this tale, with further highlights including a ghostly can can performed by Edward Kaye, Dexter Southam and Joe Prestwich, comical arguments with audience members, and many a dramatic death scene, all earning many a laugh from the delighted audience.

Improvisation is a skill that is already incredibly impressive, being able to work as a team to create a story with no prior character establishment or plot points, but adding Shakespeare into the mix with the language and such takes it to whole other level. The cast have incredible levels of knowledge and understanding of Shakespeare, and use that to craft their made up stories whilst brilliantly not taking it too seriously at all. An audience can choose a tragedy and still spend a wonderful hour laughing with fellow audience members and the cast themselves as they giggle, smile and tease each other into performing more hilarious acts such as songs, dances and battle scenes. It is all a part of the fun.

Shake It Up are laugh out loud funny and incredibly clever, using their unique Shakespearean stylings to stand out from the crowd in a sea of improv options to witness at the fringe and winning the audience over with ease. And if you miss them at the fringe, the troupe thankfully also tour.