Improv shows are very difficult to do well, so kudos to York's improv group The Shambles for making a gutsy attempt. However, this is a show best enjoyed with expectations at the lower end of the spectrum. The problem is that at ten pounds a ticket, the price raises false hopes of professionalism.
Brimming with youthful energy, The Shambles bounce around the stage and manage to occasionally deliver some witty one-liners. Audience interaction is carefully censored by a tweedy frontman who spoils the fun by jotting down the most interesting suggestions and then shouting them out himself whenever the jokes start to lag. The musical sketches are the most entertaining, the performers inventing amusing lyrics while holding a tune to quirky and comical effect.
Unfortunately, the majority of the production is amateurish and the performers frequently resort to random silliness for lack of ideas, bottling out of the punch-lines with badly suppressed giggles.
With more experience and confidence The Shambles will no doubt develop into talented actors and comedians, but at this stage their performances are raw and unpolished, even by improv standards. On the positive side, the troupe's sheer enthusiasm saves the show and it's easy to be swept away in the buzzing atmosphere. The result is a light and fluffy hour of weird mayhem.
