Brilliantly conceived improv comedy
“David Elms describes a room” is a very apt description for this clever improvised comedy show. On an empty stage, he takes the room section by section, and using a series of questions and suggestions from audience members, we begin to construct the room around him, in surprising amounts of detail. With a gentle but astute probing, we ascertain the shape and fabric of chairs, walls, doors, ornaments and occupants.
The nature of the show means there’s a lot of audience participation, which David is keen to stress should not put pressure on anyone to say something clever or funny, and it works – the humour naturally arises as the show progresses, with call-backs and, on this occasion, an escalating number of cats. There’s room for some fantastic one-liners from David too (one related to a snow globe brought the house down).
Obviously the content and vibe of the room is highly dependent on the crowd in the room – it needs nice people, as David notes, and folk were very happy to oblige. We had a very PG-rated cosy cottage vibe, helped by some wonderfully polite and charming children in the audience – and although this is a later performance, I can help but think a kid-focused daytime version would go down a storm at the Fringe.
The final section of the show is a sweet and efficient performance by David, interacting with all the elements in the room, and resolving any loose ends that have been left by the audience suggestions. This adds a cohesive narrative to something that could be chaotic in less deft hands.
This is a show that absolutely begs for a return visit – a new night, a new room. There’s potential for it to go horribly wrong, but you feel in safe hands with David, that this isn’t likely to happen. Go and see what your room is like, you’ll enjoy it.
“David Elms Describes A Room” runs until 24 August, at 21:35 at Pleasance Courtyard. Tickets can be bought from: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/david-elms-describes-a-room