Improvably good: ‘Yes Queens! Improv’ Review

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yes queens poster. The words yes queens are in the middle, and four cartoon women with crowns on surround it

★★★★✰

Improv has largely been seen as a male game for many years, driven by shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway with their token female performer. Now troupe Yes Queens brings female improv to the forefront in a night of ladies only, utterly hilarious comedy.

Our four performers are, if not slick, then overwhelmingly enthusiastic and consistently funny (more difficult in improv than you might suppose). Sarah Louise Young often takes the lead, and is a dab hand at pushing the performance in unusual directions for maximum comedic effect; Amy-Cooke Hodgson gets most of the laughs with a range of accents and put-upon expressions; Monica Gaga near steals the show as a husband buying his wife a customised numberplate; and Charlie Russell brings the qualities of main-character-bewilderment that have made her roles in Mischief Theatre such a success. Four strong performers, then, with strong personalities and singing skills—certain performers seem to go into similar roles or take over scenes, and a bit more variety in who takes the lead when might benefit the show, but whoever ends up striding to the front of the stage you are confident that you’re about to laugh.

The range of improv games is also strong, gradually warming up a slightly chilly crowd, and offering a good range of long and short-form activities. Recurring characters emerge as we go in a cleverly quick-thinking touch, and it might be nice to see more of the dynamics between the performers off-stage showcased as part of the act (although by the end that does seem to start, mostly judged by who corpses and when.)

Yes Queens is a refreshing addition to the improv scene, placing a group of talented women at its forefront and letting them rip to great comedic effect. It’s a little gem, and worth coming back to the King’s Head once a month to see.

Words by Issy Flower


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