Austentatious at Leicester Square Theatre, WC2

"The concept sounds doubly twee: an improvisation troupe (hardly the most fashionable comedy genre) whose sole subject matter is the works of Jane Austen. In fact, Austentatious, now touring 200 years after the publication of Emma, are au courant enough to be selling branded tote bags after the show, where the average audience age seems to more or less match that of the talented young cast.Austentatious absolutely deserve their following. As the six-strong ensemble improvised a “lost” Austen work from an audience suggestion (in this case Fear and Loathing in Stratford-upon-Avon), the story they created was relentlessly fresh. Along with heaving bosoms and the dysfunctions of the landed gentry (one key character enjoyed too-long kisses with his controlling mother), this hour contained hilariously bold character choices, ridiculously silly running gags — and a wickedly funny joke at the expense of Andrew Lloyd Webber.The night’s most luminous stars were Joseph Morpurgo and Cariad Lloyd, both excellent character comics. The former portrayed a literal-minded dimwit with utter comfort; the latter provided some superb bridges back to the present day (playing a writer, she referred anachronistically to the noticeboard outside her house as “my blog”). Andrew Hunter Murray (who works for QI and Private Eye) was also exquisitely punchy in his contributions, which included (for reasons too complicated to explain here) inventing a glass-polishing dance with panache.At such moments it was abundantly apparent how instinctively this team works together, the cast members gliding in and out of scenes effortlessly, chewing up whatever curveballs their colleagues had bowled them. Most of all, though, the Austentatious performers understand exactly how to build a story: the need to drive forward each scene, with inventive twists and punchlines popping up at pace. The cumulative effect is a potboiler of a parody, joyously performed."5 ★★★★★Touring until May 7 . Details: http://austentatiousimpro.com/