”An Improbable Musical” to tour UK in the autumn

Exclusive: Improvisation specialists Improbable are taking An Improbable Musical on the road later this year, including a limited London run at Hackney Empire.

The show is helmed by Improbable co-artistic director Lee Simpson, who also performs. He’s joined in the cast by experienced improvisers including Josie Lawrence (Whose Line Is It Anyway?), Ruth Bratt (Showstopper! The Improvised Musical), Niall Ashdown (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and Aya Nakamura (All Wrapped Up, Oily Cart), who also designs and directs puppetry in the production.

Further casting is still to be announced.

The musical devisor and director is Christopher Ash (Showstopper! The Improvised Musical), who also performs with musicians Max Gittings on flute, Joley Cragg on percussion and Juliet Colyer on cello.

Produced with Royal and Derngate Northampton, where the show premiered in February, An Improbable Musical will open at the Exeter Northcott on 26 September before moving to Hackney Empire from 21 October. It will then tour the UK in spring 2023, including Gulbenkian Theatre (13 to 15 April), with further tour dates to be announced.

Simpson said: “This is not an attempt to improvise the ‘classic’ musical but an unapologetic experiment in starting with nothing and seeing where the night ends… This is theatre made out of listening, and a bit more listening in the world is worth a try, right?”

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