Billed as “an improvised comedy”, The Film Club played PBH’s Free Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe during August 2022.
I’m reviewing here from a recording of one of the shows sent to me by the company. As you may have seen in Showstoppers! the basic idea is to build a improv ahow around – in this case – all an audience’s favourite films plus a favourite genre.
It may be thriller, horror or noir, period pieces, romcom or giallo. The choice is yours if you are brave enough to join in, shout out, and open up your heart. The Film Club improv gang will snatch your suggestions and run with them.
With a lot of fringe shows, even those in comedic style, feeling weighted down by dark and disturbing topics, it is quite nice to just have a laugh for an hour. Obviously watching a recording is not the same as being there in the moment, but I realy enjoyed being in the room at one remove.
What’s on the menu in the sixth show shared here is a musical which came up as the most popular genre from the audience. The films suggested by the lively auduence included Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, The Blues Brothers and Cats.
You may remember I was not a fan of the film of Cats, but I was a fan of How To Live a Jellicle Life which was about being a fan of the film of Cats. So I’m intrigued.
Jennifer Tyler introduces their colleagues and acts as MC – the others (Aram Balakjian, Chris East, Jessica Flood, Ben Goldsmith and Jessica Napier at this show stand by in Mock the Week style until their scenes and songs start.
Bonkers names, inappropriate relations, and fur fetishes come into play along with some stonking tunes in this show, which feels as if it gives a good indication of the team’s style.
What might have been fun was having films in a different genre forced into that genre, but that might have happened already.
You can catch the Film Club Improv team in London on 15 September at 9pm at The Free Association – tickets here: https://thefreeassociation.co.uk/fashowslist/film-club-thursday-15th-september-900pm
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