CULTURE EDITION
Improvisational comedy Austentatious is coming to Cambridge Corn Exchange this month with its unique blend of razor-sharp wit and Regency mores and manners H ard on the heels of its successful two-year West End run, Austentatious – an improvised Jane Austen beyond the general social constraints of the era and Austen-esque themes. At the beginning of each performance, the audience PLAYING JANE COMEDY
The revolving cast includes numerous award-winning TV and radio performers, including Rachel Parris ( Late Night Mash , Live at the Apollo ), Cariad Lloyd ( QI , Inside No 9 , Griefcast ) and Graham Dickson ( After Life , The Witchfinder ). “It’s always so much fun because the possibilities are endless with improv and you never know where it’s going to go,” says comedian Rachel Parris. “The audience keeps us on our toes, but the best moments are when we surprise ourselves.” The concept is that each show is entirely original, with no pre-planning or script
is asked to suggest a title for a fictional Jane Austen novel. The troupe uses this to improvise a full-length comedy. These plays are filled with the wit, romance and manners typical of Austen’s real works, but with a twist of spontaneous, modern humour. “We take the title of a ‘lost’ Austen novel from our wonderful audience – once we have that, everything is entirely improvised,” says cast member Lauren Shearing. “We’re discovering the show at the same time as the audience, so we don’t know what’s going to happen, but there’s a good chance it will feature dashing heroes, clever, outspoken heroines, scandalous gossip and plenty of romantic entanglements! We stay true to the world of Jane Austen, but there are some modern themes along the way – one of our recent shows was called All The Single Ladies and it definitely featured more Beyoncé references than your average Austen novel!” The humour draws on Austen’s witty dialogue, social satire and complex character dynamics, making it engaging for any fan of Austen as well as general comedy lovers. “We love the titles our audiences come up with on the night,” says Lauren. “Quite often they’re funny interpretations of Jane’s original works, like Northangover Abbey or Mansplain Park . We’ve also had brilliant suggestions like Gentlemen Prefer Bonnets or The Empire Line Strikes Back . It’s exciting for us to be surprised by the creativity of the audience at the start of the show, then they can sit back and enjoy the evening as we do the rest!” Austentatious has received widespread critical acclaim, playing at venues such as the Leicester Square Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe and on BBC Radio 4. “We’re all Austen fans,” says Cariad Lloyd. “And bringing her world to life in such a spontaneous way is like being in a never-ending storybook of her novels. We can’t wait to bring the show to new audiences in Cambridge!” Austentatious is showing at the Corn Exchange on Saturday 16 November at 7.30pm. Tickets start at £22.50; to book, visit cambridgelive.org.uk
comedy – is currently touring the UK. The performance is showing for one night at the Cambridge Corn Exchange on 16 November. For each unique show, the all-star ensemble cast hilariously improvises a new Jane Austen novel, with a title chosen by the audience. Performed in period-era costumes with live musical accompaniment, it’s a riotous, razor-sharp show, where swooning is guaranteed.
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