A chaotically joyful improvised play, just about held together by its host
Spin-A-Play is an entirely improvised comic performance sculpted from audience suggestions: everything from its genre and title to the nature of its dramatic finale is sourced spontaneously as the plot unfolds. Narrator and host Aaron Weight attempts to keep the show (somewhat) on the rails, whilst his company of five actors ad-lib the story, characters, and dialogue in front of a live audience.
This afternoon’s performance is a mashup of Dickens and Shakespeare. A Victorian urchin skiving from the workhouse, a cross-dressing traveller from a far-off land, and a hi-vis ghost collectively navigate family reunions, an exorcism, and even a little socialist propaganda. It’s obvious the whole crew are having a lot of fun onstage, laughing at each other’s ideas and occasionally throwing a fellow performer under the bus. This sense of joy spills over into the audience, who revel in the organically anarchic and warmly funny show.
When you think UK improvisational comedy, chances are you think either The Comedy Store Players – lots of audience suggestions in rapid-fire sketches and games – or Austentatious – an audience suggested title generates a hilarious, moving and utterly unique two-act show. Spin-A-Play sits somewhere in the middle: it’s long-form and clings to an overarching plotline, but with frequent audience contributions shaping everything from the next line of dialogue to what the villain will manufacture in his factory (appropriately Dickensian!).
Narrator and host Aaron stands beside the tiny stage, taking notes on plot developments and providing several recaps throughout the show. Shouting “freeze” at key moments, it’s also his job to solicit audience input, throwing in his own off-the-wall suggestions as he goes. Spin-A-Play is at its best with Aaron, giggling along, providing a meta-commentary on the mayhem he and the audience have wrought.
Being such an interactive production, there are times when jokes don’t land and key plot points are forgotten, but if anything this adds to the unpredictable excitement. Whilst Spin-A-Play lacks the polish and sense of closure of Austentatious, it cultivates its own unique spirit of community fun. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen multiple pelvises thrust towards the front row, aimed at the audience member who cheekily suggested ‘Burlesque’ as a theme. There are times, however, when an actor runs out of steam, and their co-performers either don’t notice or are unable to bail them out; sharper instincts here would lead to a faster-paced, more cogent show and create new moments of hilarity.
The standout performer today is Joseph Betts, pulling double duty as both street urchin and erotic ghost. He earns many of the biggest laughs while shouldering much of the plot’s forward momentum. Aaron is similarly indispensable as host, gamely coaxing suggestions from an initially reluctant audience. At one point, he impishly instructs Joseph to perform in a scene containing both his characters, specifying that he must swap between them “at least five times” – much to the actor’s frustration and the delight of the audience.
For fans of long-form improvisation, Spin-A-Play offers a charmingly disordered take on the genre. Performers and audience alike are swept up in the joyous silliness. Whilst it would be good to have a more consistent plotline holding everything together, and fewer moments where momentum is lost, this is still an hour of communal mischief that’s thoroughly entertaining.