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STV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- STV News
Paul Merton and Suki Webster return to Fringe with hit improv show
'Have I Got News for You' host Paul Merton is relishing a return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer alongside his wife and fellow comedian Suki Webster. The couple, who have become a regular highlight at the festival, will once again be fronting their celebrated improv comedy show at The Pleasance. Speaking from London ahead of their August run, Merton reflected on his long-standing relationship with the Fringe, which dates back to the 1980s. 'When you first come to Edinburgh, you haven't got a great deal of money or support,' Merton told Scotland Tonight. 'But now we have a very loyal audience and we can really just relax and do the show. There's none of that early-career stress anymore.' Webster echoed that sentiment, highlighting the festival's sense of community. 'It's just great fun, you run into all your friends,' she said. 'You might not see each other in London for months, but in Edinburgh you bump into everyone. It's like a reunion every year.' Their improv show is entirely unscripted, fuelled by audience suggestions and spontaneous performances from a rotating cast of comedians. Merton describes it as 'expect the unexpected,' noting that no two shows are ever the same. 'We have different guests every day, play different games every day. That's the fun of it – it's always fresh.' Webster added that while improvisation might seem daunting, the support of trusted collaborators makes all the difference. 'You're never alone on stage. If one of us goes blank, someone else picks it up. It's just like having a conversation – there's always an answer.' Merton likened their stage work to playtime. He said: 'It's like we never grew up. We just play. And when audiences see you having fun, they join in with the joy of it. That's what makes it special.' The couple admit that not every improv show is successful, and they both acknowledge that bad improvisation can be hard to watch. But, as Merton puts it: 'The beauty of improv is you can always pivot. If something's not working, you change it immediately.' The couple's chemistry on stage is helped, of course, by their real-life relationship. 'Being married is a plus,' said Webster. 'You know each other so well. You can just play together and have fun.' 'We get on in shows because we get on in life,' added Merton. 'And what holds us together is a shared sense of humour – and a legally binding contract!' The show features a stellar lineup of guests including Mike McShane of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, musical improviser Kirsty Newton, and well-known comics such as Rachel Parris, Fred MacAulay, Julian Clary, and Marcus Brigstocke. 'We've built up a repertoire of brilliant performers over the years,' said Merton. 'Even if the audience doesn't know who's coming on that night, the reaction when they appear is always fantastic.' The couple have even welcomed guests with no previous improv experience, including Doctor Who star David Tennant earlier this year. 'He was terrified,' said Webster. 'But he was absolutely brilliant. We always do a little workshop beforehand to help people feel comfortable and play to their strengths.' Merton agreed: 'That anxiety often turns into an incredible high after the show. David Mitchell was the same. They didn't know quite what hit them, but they loved it.' The key to good improv, they say, isn't just being funny, it's being a team player. 'If someone's a good listener and works well with others, they'll probably take to improv really well,' said Merton. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hans India
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hans India
‘Hey Viktor!' trailer unveils Cody lightning's bold, self-aware comeback satire
Monument Releasing has dropped the official trailer for Hey Viktor!, a sharp-witted, meta-comedy that sees former Smoke Signals star Cody Lightning return to the spotlight—this time as both writer and director. The film, which premieres on July 13, 2025, is a hilariously unfiltered satire that pokes fun at fading fame, cultural representation, and the chaos of comeback dreams. Lightning plays a fictionalized version of himself—a former Indigenous child actor whose early success in the 1998 indie classic Smoke Signals has long since faded. Now a disillusioned adult, Cody is clinging to delusions of grandeur and nursing a failing career. When a botched intervention inspires a reckless spark of ambition, he decides to make Smoke Signals 2. The catch? There's no script, no funding, and no Adam Beach—his former co-star. The result is a rollercoaster of cringe, comedy, and deeply human moments. The cast includes Hannah Cheesman as Kate, Cody's exhausted but loyal creative partner. Joining them are Simon Baker, Gary Farmer, Irene Bedard, and the real Adam Beach, with an unexpected comedic turn from Whose Line Is It Anyway? star Colin Mochrie. Through chaotic on-set disasters and emotionally raw detours, Hey Viktor! becomes much more than a parody. Lightning crafts a layered narrative that cleverly skewers the film industry, explores the pressures of Indigenous storytelling, and exposes the fragility of ego with razor-sharp humor. Both mockumentary and meditation, Hey Viktor! is a comeback film that doesn't follow the expected formula. Instead, it embraces its own messiness—delivering laughs, discomfort, and insight in equal measure. As one of 2025's most unconventional releases, this comedy looks to both entertain and challenge audiences with its fearless honesty.
Indian Express
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Deep Cover movie review: Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom starrer is funny and self-aware when it's not
There's something inherently ridiculous about the idea of using improv actors to infiltrate a London crime syndicate. In theory, it sounds like the fever dream of a writer who's watched MacGruber, Johnny English, and an old rerun of Whose Line Is It Anyway? back-to-back. But then again, that's the exact tightrope Deep Cover chooses to walk – with the wobbly confidence of a performer mid-scene, unsure whether to commit to the bit or bail with a quick 'yes, and…'. What results is a film that's a lot more likeable and amusing than it probably has any right to be. And when it's not funny? Well, at least it knows it. Bryce Dallas Howard leads the operation as Kat, an improv instructor who hasn't exactly made peace with her stalled career. She's roped into a MI5-adjacent operation by a grim-faced but quietly bemused Sean Bean, who plays Detective Sergeant Billings with the kind of weariness that suggests he's seen one too many undercover ops go sideways. His brilliant idea? Use Kat and her two least promising students – Marlon (Orlando Bloom) and Hugh (Nick Mohammed) – as decoys in a sting operation. To the film's credit, it doesn't pretend this idea makes any real-world sense. In fact, the characters are baffled too. But the movie's charm lies in how earnestly it sells this silliness. There's a commitment to chaos, and it works more often than it doesn't. As Marlon, Bloom sheds the seriousness that has often weighed down his career (and a fair share of chainmail) and steps into pure comedic territory. He's genuinely funny – sometimes in a self-deprecating way, other times with the energy of a guy who's finally found a role that doesn't require him to pretend to be an elf, a prince, or a vaguely rebellious heartthrob. Nick Mohammed, meanwhile, isn't reinventing the wheel. His Hugh feels like a gentle cousin to Nate from Ted Lasso – nervy, eager, prone to overthinking everything, and occasionally stumbling into brilliance. It's familiar, but it works. If anything, Hugh might be the film's emotional compass, even when the plot doesn't really ask for one. Even Sean Bean gets to crack a few smiles before, inevitably, looking like he's either going to die or arrest someone. (No spoilers, but if you're playing the Sean Bean Death Bingo, don't cash in too early.) The narrative itself is serviceable – a stitched-together crime plot that exists mostly as a backdrop for the gags and character moments. There are double-crosses, mistaken identities, and a few scenes of genuine tension. But don't go expecting The Departed. The stakes feel intentionally low – a strength and a weakness. On one hand, it makes the film breezy and easy to digest. On the other, there's a certain aimlessness that creeps in during the second act. The movie is funny. And when it's not funny, it's at least self-aware. There's something refreshing about a film that doesn't try too hard to be clever. It knows its limits, doesn't overreach, and winks at the audience just enough. But occasionally, you do wish it pushed past the wink – into full-blown satire or surprise – but its restraint is part of its charm. There's also a whiff of Delhi Belly here – particularly in how regular, slightly idiotic people get swept into high-stakes criminal drama and somehow bluff their way through. The film doesn't indulge in toilet humour, but it shares that anarchic DNA. That same sense of 'Wait, how are they still alive?' runs through much of the story. Deep Cover isn't as sharp as The Nice Guys, or as madcap as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But it's the kind of movie you see with zero expectations, and find yourself laughing 15 minutes in. Deep Cover Deep Cover Cast – Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, Paddy Considine, Ian McShane, Sean Bean Deep Cover Director – Tom Kingsley Deep Cover Rating – 3/5
Chicago Tribune
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Whose libretto is it, anyway? Chicago opera company takes on improv
We're at a pizza parlor, listening to 'The Perversity of Captain Morgan.' This opera has everything: drunk pirates, 'horny fish,' a preteen stowaway from Colorado, and a character referred to only as Peasant Susan. Musically, 'Captain Morgan' sounds a bit like Mozart's handiwork — and it's highly possible the potty-mouthed composer himself might have snickered at the absurd plot. It has an overture, with a lighthearted onstage pantomime. It boasts a mix of aria and recitativo secco, or recitative accompanied by the harpsichord (in this case, an electric keyboard playing with a patch). It even ends with a Mozartean, all-cast finale. But this opera isn't from the 18th century. It's very contemporary — as in, it's being made up on the spot. Welcome to Chicago Fringe Opera's 'Op*erratic.' Every Wednesday night at Borelli's Pizzeria in Lincoln Square, cycling troupes of singers improvise a half-hour-long opera based on audience suggestions. George Cederquist, the company's producing artistic director, says he's long used improv as a teaching tool in North Park University's theater department. After honing his skills further through a summer intensive at Annoyance Theatre, he wondered what it might look like to apply what he learned to opera. 'Improv is essentially putting on your own mask before assisting others,' Cederquist told me between sets at Borelli's. 'When you go into a scene making a really strong choice, that allows everybody else in the scene to know what's going on.' After two preliminary improv classes at North Park University earlier this year, 18 singers rehearsed together from March through mid-May to prepare for this summer run of shows. A few participants — like mezzo-soprano Molly Clementz, the matriarch of last week's brood of 'horny fish' — had improv experience. Others didn't. All, however, were fusing opera and improv comedy for the first time. For some cast members, the experience scratched a secret itch. Mezzo-soprano Evita Trembley tried out for her high school improv team but didn't make the cut. (She got some of the evening's biggest laughs as a misbegotten shark-slash-mermaid.) Soprano Allison Mann says she used to play a DIY version of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' in her childhood living room. 'So, of course, I jumped on this opportunity,' Mann says. Though Chicago Fringe runs on a tiny budget, it offered the classes to participants for free — an important tenet for Cederquist, who sees the company as counteracting industry 'gatekeepers.' That alone made the risk worth taking for singers like Trembley. 'They made it really accessible to singers — especially now, when everyone's having a hard time financially,' she says. 'In opera, we're all just gigging it out here.' 'Op*erratic' was originally billed as an hour-long improvised opera. That proved to be a lift, so the final version — presented now through July 2 — presents popular short-form improv games, like 'Freeze,' 'Park Bench' and 'Sex with me is like …,' before launching into the main event. Through it all, Brian Rasmussen mans the keys with quick-thinking brilliance. During a 'Freeze' set that involved a giant crab, he breezily plunked out the hook to 'Under the Sea.' Later, as the fish improvised an aria with a falling two-note refrain ('… very , he echoed the same motif in his accompaniment. Rasmussen is already an experienced improviser, mostly in the musical theater world. Improvising like Mozart, though? That was new. 'A lot of times when I'm improvising, it's either a lot of pastiche, or it's just what I would do as a composer. Here, we're imitating a certain style,' says Rasmussen, himself an operatic tenor. 'I'm doing, like, music theory analysis in my head while I'm playing.' Once the cast gained confidence — whether in the idiom, or in improv itself — the next challenge was, ironically, holding back. Singers had to listen closely to make sure they weren't stepping on each other's toes. 'It's just in our nature,' Trembley says. 'We all want to sing, and we want to sing big.' The cast throws all hesitation to the wind by show's end. Like so many great Mozart finales, the finale to last week's show teemed with vocal polyphony. Lines danced in fugue, or interlaced in duos and trios. The central refrain of that grand chorus, by the way? 'She secreted.' Depending on what night you go to 'Op*erratic,' the bodily fluids invoked may vary. But the laughs? Sempre forte. 'Op*erratic' runs 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday through July 2 at Borelli's Pizzeria, 2124 W. Lawrence Ave.; $15 suggested donation, Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer.
Hamilton Spectator
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Mike Myers, Colin Mochrie to perform at charity comedy show in Toronto
TORONTO - Mike Myers will take to the stage in Toronto as part of a comedy fundraiser for a local cancer charity. The Canadian comedian will perform standup as part of 'It's Always Something: Open Mike' at The Second City Toronto on May 12. 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' star Colin Mochrie will also perform, and improv comic David Shore is set to host. The show will also feature Shore's 'Monkey Toast: The Improvised Talk Show.' The event is being hosted by Gilda's Toronto, a charity named for the late comedian Gilda Radner, an original cast member of 'Saturday Night Live.' The organization offers support to cancer patients and their family members. Myers was born in Toronto and got his breakout on 'SNL.' He's returned to the show in recent months to portray Elon Musk, and made headlines for wearing a T-shirt on stage defending Canada's sovereignty in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's comments about making the country the '51st state.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2025.
