The End Of The World As We Know It - a new opera by the Improvesarios!
- ann-evans
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
The Improvesarios at the Studio, The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa for one night only, Saturday 31 May 2025.
Review Ann Evans
Not only are the Improvesarios a group of extremely talented classically trained musicians with outstanding voices – they are also a rather courageous troupe of performers.
Courageous because they step onto the stage knowing they have to make up an opera, with a plot, with operatic arias, with every word and every note made up on the spot. No rehearsal, no discussion, a purely impromptu improvised opera – and make it funny!
Do they achieve this? Absolutely Yes!
After seeing them two years running, I can honestly say their show is great fun, its mayhem at times, it can be crazy but it’s brilliant entertainment. This group have been together for three years and the close bond they have is reflected in the rapport they share – trusting in one another to keep the story flowing, to keep the music coming, creating the opportunities for harmonies and solos, telling the story, bringing out the drama and emotion – yes, totally over the top and fabulous!
Great to see their brains working at a million miles an hour, as they come up with the next line to sing, and how to sing it, and the next piece of action. All this not only has the audience eagerly anticipating what will come next, but the expressions on the faces of the Improvesarios themselves are a joy to behold.
Queen of the facial expressions Is Assistant Producer Rebecca Chandler, a hugely talented and funny performer with an incredible Mezzo-Soprano voice. When she’s not improvising opera Rebecca has performed in multiple Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, she’s also sung in soloist in John Rutter’s Magnificat, Schubert’s Mass in G, Karl Jenkins’ Armed Man, Faure’s Requiem, Haydn’s Missa Sancti Nicolai and Vivaldi’s Gloria. In 2019 she won the Keldwyth Cumbrian Young Musicians Award.
Improvesarios Director soprano Becca Madden introduced the show – her delightful warm and outgoing personality instantly winning the audience over. A young woman with a fabulous voice and the ability to keep the story moving forward regardless of where the plot was leading – in our case down the canal, through the haunted tunnel and onwards to a German forest avoiding flesh eating Yhettie’s along the way!
Did I mention that the audience are responsible for what the opera is about, where it’s set and what happens! The performers must have loved last night’s audience who came up with the idea of setting the opera on a narrowboat and giving it the title: The End of the World as We Know It.
Becca Madden who ‘swims’ onto the stage and is thrown a life belt by Captain Birdseye (Rebecca Chandler) graduated with an MMus from Trinity Laban Conservatoire where she studied under Joan Rodgers. She loves singing is a wide variety of operatic styles and is currently a regular singer with Random Opera Company performing Giannetta (L’elisir d’amore) in 2021, Ännchen (Der Freischütz) in 2022 and Despina (Cosi fan tutte) in 2023.
As fellow ‘presenter’ and leading the audience participation was Improvesarios Producer, Heldentenor Stephen Brown who also graduated with an MMus from Trinity Laban Conservatoire. A Kathleen Creed scholar, Stephen has recently played such roles as Fredric in Pirates of Penzance for Cardiff Opera and Don Basilio/Don Curzio in an English production of The Marriage of Figaro for Puzzle Piece Opera.
Mezzo-soprano Emily Lane recently graduated from The University of York and is now studying at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. In last night’s performance, Emily became the Witch of the Tunnel, and when not performing with the Improvesarios she is studying for a Master in Composition and sings in numerous choirs including the London Symphony Chorus.
Last but certainly not least in the Improvesarios line-up is pianist and musical director Dominic Bentham (DipABRSM) who played keyboard continually, throughout – keeping pace with the action and the lyrics of his fellow performers, coming up with the accompanying music, adjusting the mood, pace and atmosphere with every passing moment – just amazing!
Dominic recently completed his BMus(Hons) in piano performance at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, under the tuition of Canadian pianist and composer Douglas Finch, who helped spark Dominic’s love of improvisation. He is an experienced piano teacher who also works with several choirs and choral societies, including directing the Ferrier Operatic Society for their Autumn 2023 concert series.
The Improvesarios are talented, classically trained and full of fun, eager to offer audiences a very much tongue-in-cheek look at opera, making memorable nights of laughter. If you get the opportunity of seeing the Improvesarios in action grab your tickets quick!
Discover more about the Improvesarios: https://improvesarios.com/
See what’s coming up next at The Loft, Leamington. https://lofttheatrecompany.com/
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