This week we bring you some very exciting improv news to the Show of the Week feature. We have an exclusive interview with a brand new show and group that focus on the world of Current Affairs in a a fun improv musical twist. I sat down with the Artistic Director of Newsical, James Witt to find out more!

Hello James, Tell us about Newsical. Who you all are and a little bit about yourselves?

Newsical is a brand new comedy collective conceived by myself, James Witt and Steve Roe (Hoopla Impro).

We’ve been improvising together for over eight years and have always had a shared passion for satire.   We both grew up watching Spitting Image and have often lamented the lack of biting satire in the UK since it was taken off air.  We also feel that TV comedy feels so heavily censored nowadays the only places you can tell the truth any more is the stage.

Late last year we started writing and filming topical sketches for Hoopla.  We soon realised that the ones we enjoyed making the most and were  getting the most hits were the sketches which tackled current social topics.  Our sketch ‘Brexit Break-Up’ had 200k views.

After 8 years performing with and (later) directing the organic freeform Music Box : The Improvised Comedy Musical I decided that I needed a new challenge. I’d previously performed in, directed and written for Newsrevue and The Treason Show which I loved.  Also I’m also a bit of a social justice warrior so making a satirical news show is a good outlet for my frustrations with the current political climate.

We’ve pooled together some of the best musical improvisers and impressionists from the London circuit including:
Amy Cooke-Hodgson (Austentatious), Rhiannon Vivian (The Maydays),  Jennifer Jordan (Classic Andy), James Irving (Impromptu Shakespeare), Tai Campbell (Left Foot First), Sally Hodgkiss (Sonder), Francesca Reid (Multiverse) and Greg Birks (Music Box Improv).

We have a few different formats:
Newsical: A 45 minutes narrative musical based on a headline and location suggested by the audience.
Headlines – several mini-musicals in 30 minutes and News Jam our ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ inspired rapid-fire improv games set.

In a nutshell everything we do is ‘Improvised Musical Satire’.

We got our first celebrity endorsement after our show at Reading Fringe Festival from Melinda Messenger who said on Twitter that “You guys were awesome!! Sharply, warmly, magically funny! What a treat thank you! I’m still giggling at some of those lines!”

What are the dates / time / location / prices of your shows?

Our next show is at 8pm at Hoopla Impro on Saturday the 7th of October.  Tickets £8
We’ll also be appearing at 22:45 as part of Hoopla’s 50 Hour Improv Marathon on Friday the 20th of October you can get tickets for both this shows at hooplaimpro.com

How did you come up with the name Newsical?

I love puns and wordplay.   I knew I wanted some kind of short, concise portmanteau word and Newsical was the first I came up with.    I like to think we do ‘exactly what it says on the tin’ people will see the name Newsical and know exactly what to expect.

“..It is such a rich time for satire with the overblown personalities of the main players in politics…” – James Witt

Tell us all about the show that you are bringing to the Miller? 

The show on the 7th of October will be our Headlines show.  We give every audience member a newspaper from the previous week and they are invited to tear out headlines then put them in our ‘News Hat’.   These are then pulled out at random during our show and made into a series of mini musicals.

What’s been your favourite news topic to do a song about and why?

In all our shows so far the biggest response from the audience has been when the Queen shows up.   In our last gig at The Miller the brilliant Jennifer Jordan played Jeremy Corbyn having a rap battle with Olivia Mace as The Queen.  Olivia sampled the popular Momentum anthem based on the White Stripes song Seven Nation Army but she changed the lyrics to ‘No Jeremy Corbyn’.  No matter what the lyrics are the Queen singing is always funny – as it is so out of character.

What news topics do you dread doing songs about and why?  

We had a show the week of the Grenfell Tower Disaster.  Steve spoke out at the top that if (by some chance) we pulled any headlines out about that we wouldn’t take the suggestion.   Other than that I guess any natural disaster or mass loss of life would be difficult to make light of in an improv show.

When i’ve written and directed for shows such as Newsrevue and The Treason Show it is easier to deal with more contentious subject matter as it can be more carefully considered. I tell our performers that if any topics come up that they feel is a bit contentious they should do one of the following:
A )  Try subverting the audience’s expectations.  For example, if you are given The KKK as a suggestion then make the scene about a liberal, reluctant and pacifistic branch.
B)  Play the scene at the top of your intelligence, punch up and never punch down.
C)  Concentrate on the character and the relationships in the scene rather than the politics.

If we do this it helps us avoid us avoid the pratfalls of offending the audience and stops us pushing our own political beliefs as I we need to avoid being improvised Agitprop Theatre.  

“…TV comedy feels so heavily censored nowadays the only places you can tell the truth any more is the stage…” – James Witt 

Out of all the new stories that have happened recently what ones do you wish you got as a suggestion? 

I recently spent two months playing Boris Johnson in Brexit the Musical at the Edinburgh Fringe.   I’ve spent over two months researching and developing my impersonation of Bojo – so any Brexit related headlines (for purely selfish reasons!).

What are your favourite things about performing improv to an audience and why? 

For me listening to the audience is key.  Even when i’m performing in a scripted show I can sense when an audience is bored or disconnected from the narrative.    As such I always ensure that 10% of me is outside the scene actively listening to their reactions.  There are two reasons for this, the first is technical; so you don’t speak over their laughs the second is sensing when they want the action to move faster or when they need a break from quick fire gagging or frenetic high comedy and want to see something more slow burning and character lead.That’s why I love  performing improv to an audience.  Everything should be symbiotic –  it doesn’t end with their suggestion, that’s the beginning – we should keep checking back with them to see if they’re still on board and still having fun.   With improv you have the freedom to change tack more easily than when you’re working with a script.

What have been the highlights of the shows you have performed previously?     We had a scene where Theresa-Bot played by Rhiannon Vivian murdered Donald Trump before self destructing.  Tai Campbell then came on as Barack Obama to survey the damage and retake his position as POTUS.  He sang uplifting song about a Utopian future where he ‘Put(s) Right What Once Went Wrong’.

What other improv groups do you find inspiring and why? 

In terms of Improvised Musicals I still think Baby Wants Candy are the masters of the art form.   They are just so playful and naughty on stage which makes them mesmeric to watch.   They are anarchic and wild but always have each other’s backs.   We had a day’s workshop with their artistic director Al Samuels when I was still with Music Box.    He said ‘Follow the funny and feel the love’ which will be my improv mantra for all time.

On the UK scene I would say The Maydays are my favourite group as they’re so physically interesting with their stage craft and constantly innovating with their formats.

 What is your advice for new improvisers who want to perform their own shows with their own troupes that are musical based? 

Get yourself a passionate Musical Director with a solid musical training.  This will help you master harmonies and sound great.  Duncan Walsh Atkins of Showstoppers is fantastic at getting the best out of performers voices.   If you’re self directing make sure you get along an experienced musical improviser to take notes on your shows or teach a guest workshop.

What differentiates you from other Improv shows?

I think we’re the only show on the scene at the moment that are tackling current affairs head on.   It is such a rich time for satire with the overblown personalities of the main players in politics.   However underneath these caricatures lies a very frightening shift to the right wing politically.   We aim to redress the balance by mercilessly mocking their monsters at every opportunity.     This, along with our random way of taking audience suggestions gives our show a unique sense of danger.   We are improv on a knife edge that’s hovering over a giant nuclear button.

If people want to find out more about you where can they follow you on social media?   

Twitter @NewsicalUK

Facebook: facebook.com/NewsicalUK

Instagram @NewsicalUK

And Finally – in three words, why should people come and see you at The Miller?

Danger
Anarchy
Fun