Tuesday 18th May 2010 @ Colston Hall, Bristol

Improvisation comedy is a hit and miss affair. There’s no such thing as a ‘seen one, seen ‘em all’ live impro show because, to state the obvious, each one is created completely off the cuff and therefore unique. On Tuesday 18th May, Paul Merton showed exactly what the point of this is as he delighted, baffled and downright entertained the audience at Bristol’s Colston Hall. He was not alone; fellow comedians Mike McShane, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch and Suki Webster combined forces to create Merton’s ‘Impro Chums’, a night of entertainment based on audience suggestions.

The audience suggestions on this show’s UK-wide spring tour have, as comedians remind us constantly, been varied and often off the wall. That is, of course, exactly what this shows wants and inspires. The audience are asked to come up with places, types of theatres, words, experiences, all of which become the ‘idea props’ for the night. The show therefore changes every time but the quality of the performers doesn’t. The comedians are all able to draw on years of witticisms, bitterness and probably other people’s jokes to spit them out at a nanosecond’s notice. They turn each others’ words, cultural backgrounds and actions into pieces of drama and create pieces of comedy genius. Not a belly was left un-shaken or laugh swallowed in the throat at the Colston and it’s hard to imagine any audience not being as satisfied with the entertainment on display.

Sceptics of slapstick and improvisation comedy need not worry that cheap gags and sex talk will dominate the topic agenda, there are brains behind the comedy and infinite kinds of fact, country and animal seem to fill the minds of the performers. One wonders how they prepare for this kind of gig but it certainly does the trick.

The night felt shorter than it actually was, not because two hours wasn’t enough time but because the audience didn’t want the show to end. Merton’s pit of wit seemed endless, proving once again that he is a modern great of the UK entertainment industry. Although his appearances on various TV programmes are how most of us know his name, it is just the tip of the iceberg; his talent extends to documentaries as well as live comedy. It’s Merton’s unbelievable skill as a multi-tasking performer that makes him special and he’s very, very special indeed. Go see.

www.paulmerton.com

Katy Austin