Suggestions of the Unexpected, The Museum of Comedy
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Suggestions of the Unexpected – An Improvised Horror Anthology is an improv show, a journey through the intangible, via the unknowable and into the unexpected. This darkly hilarious spectacle is brought to you via the Twilight Zone, spied in a Black Mirror and guaranteed to give you Goosebumps.
Lou Dunn gave us the low down along with Louise Jones, Charles Deane, James Gamblin, Harry Whittaker and Matthew Stallworthy ahead of playing Museum of Comedy on 8 and 9 August (tickets here).
What can audiences expect from the show?
Their deepest and darkest fears, brought to life in a aeries of cautionary tales (that may or may not end up being a bit daft). It’s improv comedy brought to you in the form of a horror anthology (think Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone). Big conceptual swings are taken as we pull apart both your inner most anxieties and the world of horror in general. It’s great fun for all the family* (*please do not bring your family, the show can get quite dark).
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
We have performed this show at other fringe festivals but there’s something about doing it in an actual crypt in London that makes it feel like we were inevitably heading here.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
We absolutely love playing with genre and especially with high concept ideas. Our other show (Any Suggestions, Doctor? The Improvised Doctor Who Parody, also on at the Camden Fringe) has played with the family friendly sci-fi end of things for a while, and we wanted to explore what we could do if we stayed in that speculative fiction area but made it much more adult and dark. We looked for inspiration largely in The Twilight Zone, which Lou and Louise got really into over lockdown, and we loved how the openness of a anthology series kept within the “anything could happen” nature of improvised comedy (in much the same way Doctor Who’s “go anywhere in space and time” concept had originally caught our imagination).
How long have you been working on the play?
This will be our 3rd year performing it, but it has grown for it’s original production in a cold dark bar in Edinburgh to a cold dark crypt in Holborn.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
Originally we wanted to do the whole thing totally straight, no jokes, make it as genuinely dark and horror tinged as possible. After a few rehearsals it become clear we’re just too silly a bunch to do that, so we incorporated both. One of the joys of mixing horror and comedy is how the two both play with tension, and when you get it just right, the audience don’t know if the next line will delight or horrify them.
What brought you all together?
We originally met at the University of York in a comedy society (shout out to our alma mater “The Shambles”) and decided we wanted to keep doing improv comedy after university. The troupe all has their own endeavors outside of the group (Lou does stand up as a character act called Stanley Brooks, Matthew is Drag Queen Crudi Dench, Harry is a best selling author) but the fact we all get to play together keeps us all coming back. I can highly recommend improv comedy as a way to make friends.
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
We have a book that lights up, an even though it’s not exactly the most hi tech thing in the world, it still gives me chills of excitement when I see it on stage.
How important is audience interaction to you?
Extremely. We need suggestions, but also we decidedly put the 4th wall behind the crowd, inviting them into our world. Every time we do the show, depending on who hosts will completely change the framing device of that night’s anthology. We love the idea that people will come see the show and if they talk to someone else who has seen it, they wouldn’t even be able to agree on where it was set. It really adds to the fun and mystery of playing with an audience, even after you leave we’re still playing games with you.
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?
Black. And White! And Grey. You know, because morality.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be?
The mystery flavor jelly bean. you don’t know what awaits you, but it’ll likely be good fun, even if it is a bit scary…
If your show had a soundtrack what songs would definitely be on it?
We actually have a soundtrack that is written for us by the brilliant Nick Upton, who took our prompt of “Goosebumps but tenser” and absolutely nailed it.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world where would it be?
I’d love to take it to non-fascist America one day. It feels like a very “run down shack in the south” kind of affair, invoking all that dark magic and all.
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
We originally had a series of custom props for each of our narrators, including a cane, crystal ball, pocket watch and palette, but all of them had to light up the face of the user in order to play into our aesthetic. trying to hide lights and battery on a palette is extremely hard, given it is literally a flat piece of wood, but we did do it with some sly hand placement. Also it turns out crystal balls are incredibly heavy to wield for an hour.
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
A door, that when you walk through you disappear. An impossible magic trick just mess with everyone at the end.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
Audiences want to be part of your gang, so let them. Invite them in and make them comfortable, and then the fun can really begin.
What words of advice/encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
Fringes are for mad ideas and trial work, it is better to make something imperfect than nothing at all.
Mad ideas indeed, and you all seem full of them. That’s guaranteed to be a lot of fun. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.
Suggestions of the Unexpected plays at The Museum of Comedy on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 August.
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