On one of the hottest days of the year so far, packed shoulder-to-shoulder inside a tiny, sweltering dome in Brighton’s Regency Square, it could have gone either way. But as it turns out Spin-a-Play, the endlessly chaotic improv show by Suffolk-based troupe Insert Laughter Here, is an amusing hour of unpredictability, total nonsense, and laughter.
Returning to the Brighton Fringe for the final weekend in May, this long-form improvised show is the comic equivalent of throwing everything at the wall just to see what sticks. The format is simple: audience members shout out genres, which are then added to a spinning wheel. Whatever the wheel lands on becomes the “play” of the night. But that’s just the start. From beginning to end, the audience helps shape the plot — choosing opening situations, major character decisions, and even the ending. Will the story end in triumph or tragedy? A ghosting or a ghost? A heroic act or complete absurdity? It’s up to you.
This performance featured what can only be described as a fever dream of themes: a sitcom framework featuring a strange friendship group; multiple actors playing multiple roles; a tribute to Columbo with a suspiciously persistent detective; a gingerbread man character with mysterious powers; a subplot about getting a superpower surgically removed in Turkey (natch); and a situationship ending in a ghosting — which then, somehow, involved a literal ghost. Oh, and let’s not forget the climactic downfall of the tragicomic monarch King Nobbold, whose reign was ended through a nobbling.
Photo credit – Nicola Benge
Yes, it was as ridiculous as it sounds. But that’s the point. Spin-a-Play thrives on narrative absurdity. The performers are improvisers learning how to ride the chaos, and find genuine story arcs in the middle of madness. It helps that the cast were having a blast in spite of the heat. Their energy is infectious, and their ability to juggle characters and physical comedy in such a tight space deserves applause. There are no props and barely any set, but the cast — often doubling or tripling roles — conjure entire worlds with little more than a change in posture, a change in (variable) accents, and a lot of commitment.
Aaron Weight is the show’s host, director and producer and keeps the show flowing with warmth and wit, drawing on the crowd for suggestions while setting up the performers for the scenes. As the founder of Insert Laughter Here, Weight has created a space where the stakes are low, and the joy of collaboration is front and centre. It’s no small feat to wrangle an improv show with this many moving parts — let alone in a stiflingly hot venue — but he does so with good humour.
Photo credit – Nicola Benge
The format itself is audience-led. Some improv shows can feel like they’re only partly responsive to crowd input, but here, audience choices genuinely shape the direction and tone of the play. Want to see a disaster instead of a triumph? Done. Want the romantic lead to turn out to be a ghost? No problem. Of course, as with all improv, not every beat lands. A few moments sag, some jokes miss, and there are occasional scenes that fizzle out rather than pay off. But that’s par for the course — and what makes Spin-a-Play work is its willingness to commit fully to the bit, even if the bit is ridiculous.
In a Fringe full of polished one-person shows and carefully crafted solo monologues, Spin-a-Play is a blast of unpredictable fun. It’s messy, it’s madcap, and it might make no sense — but it also might be the funniest hour of your Fringe. Whether you’re a hardcore improv fan or a newcomer just looking for a laugh, it’s well worth spinning the wheel and seeing what kind of theatrical “masterpiece” you end up with.
Details
Venue: Rotunda Theatre (Bubble / Squeak)
Dates:
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24 May at 6:30pm in Bubble
Friday 23rd and Saturday 24 May – £14
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 60 mins
Age guidance is listed as 16+
