A monthly engagement at Phoenix Arts Club, The League of Improv teams regular comic improvisers with a special guest.
At last night’s show, the line-up was Sean McInerny, Nick Oram, Chris Rosser, Zoe Dunn, Laura Evelyn, Chloe Godman and Damian Arnold – the guest performer was Marcus Brigstocke.
The format is simple. The guest asks the audience questions to offer some material to the group – last night’s prompts included the mafia, field hockey, mangoes, cabbages, roving accents, children, teachers, football, auction houses, and Prince.
Improv is popular all over the capital at the moment. Hoopla and the Free Association have bases here, Avocado play at 21Soho, Top Secret and The Comedy Show regularly present improv nights.
Bringing comedian and audience together in a ‘once only’ collection of scenes and sketches, The League of Improv is fast, funny and inspired. The group have a shorthand allowing scenes to change focus or complete, and ideas are quickly developed.
Damian Arnold founded the troupe, seeking out talent from the London and Chicago improv world. Sean McInerny also performs as one half of the Brothers Grin, Chloe Godman is tiny and energetic, Chris Rosser is both teacher and improviser, Laura Evelyn is American and inventive.
I liked the way scenes took quick detours and interesting segues – Nick Oram’s gangly style and Arnold’s enthusiasm offered some fun, while Zoe Dunn shape-shifts in various roles. There’s light joshing proving these players know their craft well.
In a slight departure from some other League of Improv shows I have read about, guest Brigstocke did participate in a couple of sketches, once as a whale and once as reporter Trump.
It’s a relaxed evening. If you booked in advance, you’ll have a table reserved – otherwise you can sit anywhere in the room. Drinks can be ordered at your table from wait staff or by QR code. There’s one interval, with time to chat to other punters.
The League of Improv are there to take the most mundane references and words and turn them into comedy gold. If something isn’t landing, another member of the group steps in. This kind of approach will be familiar from TV viewers with Mock the Week and, further back, Whose Line Is It, Anyway?
Shows like these occupy the space between stand-up and improv, with the line becoming increasingly grey. The difference is that this is a group endeavour rather than a single person seeking laughs in the spotlight.
In any night like this, a sketch won’t fly, and the opener about a 33-year-old seeking a mortgage for a drawing of a house felt forced. A sketch in a canoe meandered a bit too long, but a Godfather spoof was fun.
Considering the low cost of a couple of hours’ entertainment in the West End, this is an easy, four star, recommendation. It pauses for the month of August but returns on 23 Sep.
The League of Improv with Marcus Brigstocke was at Phoenix Arts Club on 8 Jul.