Galton & Simpson award-winning duo Al Ronald and Cy Henty turn audience stories into a weird and wonderful long-form improvisation.
There’s plenty of improv comedy at the Fringe, but I can’t say I’ve seen many where the premise is a full-length ‘play’ based on weird things that have happened to the audience- and preceded by a nice, therapeutic collective scream, no less. In this show, we had Joaquin’s account of a mysterious cat who disappeared after his aunt died, Calum’s harrowing tale of being chased by sheep while camping then pranked by his parents, Al’s hurdy-gurdy-loving feline, and a local sausage thief.
It might seem hard to tie these together into a coherent story, but Al and Cy somehow manage it. We end up with a baffling, pitch-black drama about one boy and his hurdy-gurdy collection, a cat with Joaquin Phoenix’s face and a penchant for collecting deliveries of dubious inflatables, and some sheep with an anti-lamb sausage agenda.
Al and Cy have the chaotic energy of Reeves and Mortimer as they caper around the tiny Mash House stage, and despite the small audience they wove a compelling tale. Apparently, we had one of the darkest stories in their run so far!
The Electric Head are a must-see for fans of surreal improv; bring your weirdest tales and you won’t be disappointed.
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The Electric Head is at Just The Tonic at the Mash House from 19-24 Aug.