Holy Shit Improv

Edinburgh Fringe – Gilded Balloon

Improv is always a huge risk to go to as an audience member, just because there’s such a wild and fluctuating difference in quality that can occur. That being said, Holy Shit Improv is pretty much as safe a bet as you can make with this genre. I have never laughed as hard for as long as I did during this show, there’s just no way to stop laughing at what occurs onstage. 

This show’s set-up is pretty simple, but the result is absolutely ludicrous. The show itself is split in two halves, both based on suggestions from the audience, the first being a word and the second about best/worst events in audience members’ lives. The cast then try to glean as much information and context as possible whilst quipping amongst themselves from the chosen audience member, to the point where we can see the gears turning in their minds.

There’s a snappiness in their performance within each scene. The six-person cast work as a team to build the comedy, moving quickly between scenes and characters, literally following the comedy wherever it takes them, tapping each other in and out as the show progresses. The way that they take a step back to observe and understand the tenor or direction of a particular moment shows a certain maturity and care for the art form, as well as increasing our enjoyment because it gives the impression that there’s a careful and deliberate consideration as to how each bit of material is built rather than just taking wild swings in the hope that something lands. The entire cast is constantly on the ball and in-sync with each other, never does a joke just come out of nowhere.

“I have never laughed as hard for as long as I did during this show”

The cast are truly skilled and amazing improvisers and comedic minds, as what they create onstage exceeds our wildest expectations and only leads to hilarity ensuing. This show is supposed to last an hour and definitely feels less than that. It’s the constant movement, the constant gags, their ability to run with a joke and bring it back as a reference later, all works towards breaking through the bounds of ludicrous. Sometimes it might be nonsense, but it is nonsenses that is just so incredibly and constantly funny that it reaches record-breaking heights of comedy.

Within the four walls of the venue, Holy Shit Improv makes sure the laughter never stops to the point where we’re often laughing in anticipation as they enact several levels of comedy and mockery all at once. This is definitely the best improv show out there by far. 

By Katerina Partolina Schwartz

Photo Credit: Angela Pearson PR