There is a big tradition of improvised musical comedy shows at the Edinburgh Fringe and they always sell tickets. Baby Wants Candy, Showstoppers and more – during 15 years of visiting and working at the festival I have seen some amazing improvised shows and always enjoy their exuberance and freshness.
This the main point, and Notflix is no exception, because there is a different show every day and if you enjoyed it, chances are you will go back for more as no two shows are ever the same.
Improvised musical comedy looks good when the whole team are in the game. Waiting for the Call is an all-female long-form improv team formed by self-confessed improv nerd Sarah Spencer who saw the opportunity for an American style musical improvisation group. Together with creative director Pernilla Holland, she went on to develop Notflix which is on its second sell out run at the Fringe.
What makes this show work so well is that all seven women players are a slick comedy machine who intuitively second guess each other with a blink of an eye or a click of a finger. With live musical backing, it makes for a great hour of entertainment. Everybody loves a film and Notflix picks up on this, asking the audience to participate as they queue up and then the anticipation of choosing – even if the film Dunkirk came out of the hat four times in a row on the day I went!
I didn’t actually know the film that they eventually chose to improvise but it had a lot more comedy potential than I’m guessing Dunkirk would have had and didn’t spoil my enjoyment. I am not entirely sure they knew it either so it was a mash up of robots, changing the world and general hilarity that got lots of laughs and certainly fulfilled the Fringe spirit. Everybody loves a film, even if you’ve never seen it!
★★★★
Notflix is at Gilded Balloon Teviot at 15:00 until 28th August. For tickets and more information click here!
