Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, a musical created live from audience suggestions, is coming to the Palace Theatre, Mansfield.

The show is 100% improvised as the cast transform suggestions of setting, genre, and style into an all-singing, all-dancing musical. The audience also get to name the show each night, with popular past titles including a musical set on Noah’s Ark called ‘When The Ship Hits The Fan’ and a musical set in Greggs called ‘Sex and Drugs and Sausage Roll’.

The show began life in 2008 as a workshop at the Actors’ Centre in London, when Dylan Emery, Adam Meggido and Ken Campbell took a group of actors with little or no improvisation experience and within a week attempted to get them to perform an hour-long extemporised musical in front of a packed house.

This was such a success that Dylan and Adam decided to gather together a group of professionals and create a fully-fledged show. After a few try-outs at The King’s Head in Islington, the project immediately secured financial backing and the show has gone from strength to strength ever since.

In the Autumn of 2015, it became the first longform improv show to have a full run in the West  End at the Apollo Theatre. Then in April 2016, the show became the first improv show ever to be nominated, and subsequently win, an Olivier Award (Best Entertainment & Family Show).

The show is an Edinburgh Festival Fringe phenomenon heading into its 16th year, had its own BBC Radio 4 series, had a 12-week run at London’s Other Palace in early 2019, a residency at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End and continues to play monthly in the West End at the Cambridge Theatre.

It’s at the Palace Theatre on Wednesday, 12th March, go to mansfieldpalace.co.uk or call 01623 463133 for tickets.