Review: The League of Improv, Underbelly Boulevard

Walking through Soho, it’s pretty common to find yourself forced into the road by queues for the latest must-have, whether it be the newest Korean skin care to reach London or a baked good. Two days before Halloween, it’s the fancy dress shop causing chaos, which makes me smile. As I ponder on the various characters those queuing hope to depict, I hope I’m not in store for a horror story at tonight’s improv show at the very slick Underbelly Boulevard. 

League of Improv are, no surprises here, an improv troupe. But the twist to their show is that they invite a comedian along to tap the audience for ideas before they launch into some improv. The comedian quizzes the audience to find ideas, riffing a stand-up routine for a few minutes before handing back to the patient improvisers biting at the bit behind them. It’s a nice twist on a common format, but it may prove disappointing for those hoping to see their favourite stand-up as part of the improv itself. Tonight, it’s the turn of Sophie Duker to join the group. 

Sophie, who proclaims that she’s dressed as Sideshow Bob meets the Spice Girls but strikes me more as a millennial Doris Day in her pink gingham, owns the stage with ease. Her role is quite tricky, as she’s faced with an audience who are slightly reserved, and it takes a few goes to get juicy stories. Although a discovery that the upper-class audience members have family guns triggers some hilarious observations from Sophie. The mining content phase is slightly marred by the discovery that there’s a 12-year-old in the front row despite the 18+ warnings on the website. Luckily, this doesn’t stop her from mentioning some particularly salacious activities in an Aldi car park later on. 

Once Sophie jumps off stage, it’s time for the League of Improv to do their thing. It’s a big group, and at times, you can sense the members who slightly miss out on a moment, or try and force themselves into it with mixed results. This is typical with any improv, but it does feel particularly noticeable here. Perhaps as a result of the large group, there are some skits that go on a little longer than necessary. Some scenes also feel a little dated, with gender-based jokes that belong in a 1970s sitcom rather than improv in 2025.

Having said this, I really laughed at many moments throughout the show, and the audience was obviously enjoying it. It’s good fun, and Damian Arnold’s slightly off-the-wall contributions really tickled me. How on earth does he survive a fall off a mountain, for example, only to pop back up a second later with no explanation? This appears to baffle his fellow cast members as much as it does the audience. The joy of improv!

At the start of the show, we’re promised that we’ll all be home for Traitors; however, the show runs 45 minutes longer than advertised. Whilst I’m not desperate to run home to the TV, and it’s nice to get more from the show, it does mean that our dinner plans are scuppered, which was a shame. Especially as there were clearly times when the sketches could have been cut. 

This is a great night out for a giggle, and it’s a treat to see comedian Sophie Duker in this environment. League of Improv are clearly a talented bunch too, but perhaps they all need to adjust their watches. 

Devised by The League of Improv

The League of Improv has completed its performance at Underbelly Boulevard
but returns at The Phoenix Arts Club Thursday November 13