On this night we had a newbie in tow. I mention this only because she was directly responsible for us seeing this improv troupe. You see, she loves ‘live comedy’ but had only really seen it on TV… Yes, I realise that doesn’t quite work.

Her favourite recent shows have been the Middleditch & Schwartz improv specials that have been featured on Netflix and so, with that in mind, we sought out a true live show to do the medium justice.

Improvabunga bounce on to the stage with more energy than a coke fiend drinking a Redbull espresso. The cast are then introduced in pairs by means of a series of quick improv sketches suggested by the audience. The whole thing reminded me of a late 1980s kids Saturday morning show – all we were missing was Michaela Strachan!

Of course this dramatic intro is required for improv – you need the audience engaged, and with socially distanced numbers these guys were working twice as hard to successfully build the energy in the room.

With the crowd on side it was determined that today’s show would be… drum roll please… an EPIC – SPACE – WESTERN (Firefly anyone?). From here on in I’m guessing every show is unique so I won’t dwell on the plot of ‘Blazing Spaceships’ too much.

These guys really are fun to watch: by about half way through the show they were fully in rhythm, the improvised jokes flowed more naturally and the songs were genuinely catchy – we found ourselves singing ‘Space Lizard’ at various points throughout the rest of the evening.

I firmly believe that if an improv troupe can get you to buy into their world then they have done their job well. At that point, all of the little things that would otherwise be considered errors (falling off stage, forgetting who someone else is playing at that time) actually add to the show and enhance the raw nature of the experience.

Performing good improv is definitely a skill and I’m pleased to say that at the close of play it was all smiles and a thumbs up from our newbie. So, if improv is your thing then you really can’t go far wrong with Improvabunga.

Clown Stars: * * * *

@ Surgeons’ Hall, The Space – Edinburgh Fringe