Review: Improltergeist

For those who felt like Halloween came and went too fast, look not forlornly at those lovingly carved pumpkins you will have to doom to the food recycling. Instead turn to The Cambridge Impronauts, who are extending the Halloween period with four nights of improvised comedy at the ADC Theatre!

Directed by Alex Walker, Improltergeist takes its prompts from the audience and runs with them, promising a new and distinct brand of spooky each night. From the offset, the cast’s enthusiasm was infectious, and they worked off each other well, skilfully establishing running gags that brought repeated laughs from the audience. In particular, Barney Jeff Slater provided many of the nights best lines.

As with any improvised production, there were certain jokes that fell flat, and other times where cast members would interject before a joke was able to fully develop, but for the most part, the quick-thinking of the cast kept the play moving, stopping it from lingering too long at any one moment.

The cast rehearsing the play’s opening in proper ghost-story fashion. Credit: Alex Walker

An unexpected highlight of the evening were the two spontaneous musical numbers, and Jonaton Rostén can only be commended for his impressive ability to write and sing a sea-shanty on demand. The keyboard backing track provided by Robbie Smith ensured these scenes were some of the most high-energy of the night, so it was a shame that music was used so sparingly in the play as a whole; Smith juggled the roles of both actor and musician, meaning for the most part he was kept away from the keyboard.

The lighting, too, could have been used to greater effect, but overall the performances were strong enough to hold the energy of the piece regardless of the more minimalist stage tech.

The play excelled in the narrative they were able to spin from only a couple of audience prompts. A show like this one will always rely on having an enthusiastic audience, which opening night certainly did. Still, given that the audience were so eager to participate, it would have been nice to have seen more interaction with the audience throughout the play, rather than limiting it primarily to the first few minutes. Though the cast certainly didn’t struggle with the relative lack of direction they were given, it would have been nice to have had more input as to the direction of the show.

The cast using their variety of props for any purpose that might arise during the play. Credit: Alex Walker 

Overall, Impoltergeist offers an impressive display of what improvised comedy has to offer, and its skilled cast are sure to bring a host of weird and wonderful characters to the ADC stage across the next few nights. 3/5 stars

Improltergeist runs from Wednesday 3^rd November until Saturday 6^th November at 11pm at the ADC theatre. Tickets are available here.

Cover Image Credit: Damian Smith