ShakeItUp: The Improvised Shakespeare Show and Jess Robinson: Elton Reimagined
| Date | Wednesday 15th July 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 7:30 PM | |
| Doors Open | 7:00 PM | |
| Venue | The Dembe Theatre | |
Experience a night of "Bard-based Bedlam" and musical wizardry! ShakeItUp creates a brand-new Shakespeare play live on stage using your wittiest suggestions for a "brilliantly bonkers" improvised masterpiece. Then, multi-award-winning impressionist Jess Robinson (The Last Leg) reimagines Elton John’s greatest hits through the voices of icons like Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears. It’s a spectacular double-bill of high-energy comedy, world-class vocals, and total theatrical magic.
Shakespeare hasn’t written anything new for an age, so we thought we would give him a hand…Using his language, your audience suggestions, and our overactive imaginations, ShakeItUp create a brand-new Shakespeare play live on stage.
Pick your authentic Shakespearean genre: Epic History, Romantic Comedy, or Gruesome Tragedy! Pen your wittiest Shakespearean line for our brave actors to pull from their suitably-Shakespearean breeches when they need a helping hand – the twist? They’ll have no idea what the line will be before they say it!
Then sit back and watch the hilarity unfold in a totally bonkers play that Willy Shakes himself would be proud of. Expect big laughs, high drama, and plenty of Bard-based Bedlam!
ShakeItUp Theatre launched The Improvised Shakespeare Show in 2018. Since then they have performed well over 100 totally improvised Shakespeare plays to audiences across the UK, from the Minack Theatre in Cornwall, to London’s The Other Palace, and to the Edinburgh Fringe; even performing internationally in Italy, Poland, and Germany.
★★★★★- “Quick witted, inexhaustible and absolutely hysterical.” London Theatre Reviews
★★★★★- “Brilliantly bonkers…one of the best improvised shows out there” West End Best Friend
★★★★★– “masters of improv…brilliant fun for all” Theatre Scotland
Experience Elton John’s timeless hits like you’ve never heard them before! Multi-award-winning comedian and singer Jess Robinson (The Last Leg, Dead Ringers) brings her spectacular show, Elton Reimagined, to the Tringe. Renowned for her pitch-perfect impressions, Jess channels a gallery of legendary female icons—from Britney Spears and Amy Winehouse to Julie Andrews and shakira—to transform classics like Rocket Man and Tiny Dancer.
Fresh from a triumphant 2025 Edinburgh Fringe run with twelve four- and five-star reviews, Jess combines world-class vocals with playful humor and theatrical magic. It’s a heartfelt, hilarious, and innovative celebration of a global superstar, perfect for all generations. Come for the incredible arrangements, stay for the quick wit and "spectacular" musicality!
Line up subject to change. We will endeavour to replace acts on a like-for-like basis. In the event of a line up change, you will be offered the option to either reconfirm your order for the altered event, to exchange to a different Tringe Festival night or to take a credit note for a future Tringe gig. Due to the preview nature of the event, refunds will not be available.