Wilton’s Music Hall – July 10th 2026
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
5*****
Twelve years of well honed CSI improvisation creates an expectation and excitement in the audience, with returners leading the way. Co-creators Lee Apsey and Sarah Kempton have attracted a stellar cast of improv actors to wet your whistle. No fourth wall here! Fully interactive, the audience calls the shots. In fact, we are one of the players, Detective Cliff.
The acrobatic dialogue created by the cast does everything it can to trip one another up, develop the plot and keep the audience laughing. Keeping track of the plot is a skill in itself, providing moments of hilarity and genius all at once. James Cann appearing as the family pet sparrow, wandering about the stage and bumping into the back wall, is one such moment that brings belly laughs from the audience.
The players testing one another’s linguistic ability to grapple accents and long words keeps you fully involved. The creation of ‘my real voice’ certainly tested Kayleigh Cassidy and Nicola Lucey, digging deep to provide comedy in the moment.
The beauty of improv is you can change direction at the flip of a coin, sometimes with one line. Having a ship’s captain scared of water that has a penchant for sinking them, certainly did that, thanks to Cann. Kayleigh Cassidy coined the phrase ‘what happens under water, stays underwater’, an inspired line that framed practically the whole plot.
There is someone holding it all together, barely keeping up with comedic sobriety is Steve Bond as the detective inspector. He does a sterling job of bringing the cast back into focus, after all we are trying to solve a murder here!
If you love Improv, this is a must see. If you have never experienced improv, this is your chance to witness a masterclass!