Hilariously Talented: on Showstopper

Event at a glance

Venue: Apollo Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES)

Date attended: 11, October 2015

On Until: 29, November

Ticket Cost: 20-65 GBP

My brief review: light-hearted and funny, astonishing improvising and coordinating skills, positive and passionate. Highly recommended for either couples, friends, or family members.

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Showstopper, the first and only full-length improvised musical, has been running for 8 years. The production team is absolutely super versatile. One needs to be extremely cleverly knowledgeable to reach this level of this peculiar improvising skill to compose the musical with audience's ideas and suggestions at the site. It not only requires the broad knowledge, but also the amazing coordinating skill among the team, on the lyrics, message, plot, melody, costume, and the coherent movements and actions.  

Showstopper poster

Showstopper show time

Showstopper tickets

The musical improvised today is called Bent it like Bethlem. Even this title is suggested by the audience. This musical touches on various fields and elements: romance, religion, gangs, lesbians, and friendship. The musical makes fun of the social reality sarcastically as well as hilariously, that sometimes ( in fact mostly) integrity is bent out of enforcement, not of choice or desire or greediness. The message seems to be that "sometimes, you just need to bend it a bit", then you will realize how precious the common daily life is. Getting lost and then getting back to the gentle soul, this journey implies the power of love, religion and friendship. 

The cast on stage

In terms of the lyrics improvised, I am amazed how tidily it rhymes, such as: ill-pill-feel; ok-day-pay... The finishing line of the show : you've got friends,  you've got friends, sometimes you just need to bend, bend, bend" is obviously very singable, because most audience walk out of the theatre humming this line full of laughters. 

I would definitely go back, because I know I will find another hilarious and enlightening musical.

Please find more information of this musical on: http://www.showstopperlondon.com/

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Review of useful vocabulary from this post

Learn English in context of Global traveler's blog

1. light-hearted 
2. astonishing
3. improvising
4. passionate
5. improvised  
6. versatile
7. peculiar 
8. lyrics
9. costume
10. coherent
11.  gangs
12.  lesbians
13.  sarcastically
14.  hilariously
15.  integrity
16.  enforcement
17.  greediness