“This is a fun show by fun people for folks who aren’t minded to splash all their Fringe cash on dead parent, my house was bombed by moomins, what’s the point of existence? serious and sombre stuff.”

Editorial Rating: 3 Stars (Nae Bad)

We enter to find the troupe dishing out Opal Fruits, interacting with the audience, and getting the energy levels up. It’s a very welcoming space. You can feel the energy crackling. It’s obvious that the chaps on stage really enjoy working together and we’re all invited to share the bromance. An absent-minded grandparent is about to tell a story to his grandlings, but what story? Any suggestions?

What follows is an entirely unpredictable series of vignettes, sidebars, and recurring characters. When the chaps ask if anyone has ever heard of Sunderland Footballer Len Shackleton, not actually the brother of Earnest, it’s all I can do to stop my Geordie GetYourCoatsOn colleague, the one with a still unwritten play about Colin Veitch, from launching into his favourite before, during, and after dinner lecture – luckily he’s busy chewing on an Opal Fruit.

Over the course of the hour we’re in the sea. We’re on an island. We’re on a rollercoaster of madcappery and bonkersosity that provides much merriment. This is a fun show by fun people for folks who aren’t minded to splash all their Fringe cash on dead parent, my house was bombed by moomins, what’s the point of existence? serious and sombre stuff.

I have to admit I raised an eyebrow when I read the show’s listing at EdFringe.com – “Improv Legends” is a strong sell. It’s also an admission that the show is not new. So is it still fresh? Is it still quick-witted? Certainly, these Oxford Imps almuns have appeared (and are appearing) in some of the best-known improv shows at the festival including ‘Austentatious’ and ‘Adventures of the Improvised Sherlock Holmes’. Definitely, they are good at what they do. However, undeniably, there is a flatness and a whiff of complacency. Like an undergased, overpriced pint in a plastic glass from a popup bar there’s something there that’s missing. At several points, when the ball slips into dead air, I find myself wishing Len Shackleton would give the boys a talking-to in the dressing room about the importance of possession and positioning.

I would like to see this show getting back to basics and resting on a few fewer laurels. The best thing about improv is that it exists only in the moment, so the moment matters more than anything before or after. There’s plenty more Fringe in the sea lads, so stop treading water. This improv needs improving if the best days are still ahead.

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