Review: Austentatious at Assembly Hall Theatre - An Evening of Hilarious Improv Comedy

Since being founded in London in 2011 and making its debut at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2012, Austentatious has grown into a must-see show across the UK. As a completely improvised play, audiences never see the same Jane Austen inspired performance twice, making each show uniquely funny and full of surprises.

I simply couldn’t miss the opportunity to see it for myself at Assembly Hall Theatre in Tunbridge Wells for this year’s Literary Festival - particularly as this year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. Now in its fourth year, the Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival aims to celebrate the pleasure of reading and genius of good writing. You could see from the range of people in the audience how literature is an art that touches all of us in different and unique ways, and it was a special treat to begin the show with a reading by a local poet, A.K Davidson., from her new book ‘Poetry for Life and Other Chronic Conditions’.

Onto the main event, the giggles grew in the audience as we were welcomed to pitch one of Jane Austen’s ‘lost literary works’, leading to our chosen title “Emma and the Alien”. The cast bringing the laughter included BAFTA-nominated Rachel Parris, Amy Cooke-Hodgson, Joseph Morpurgo, award-winning actor, writer, comedian and podcaster, Cariad Lloyd, Charlotte Gittins and guest performer, Lee Simpson of Comedy Store Player fame.

I found myself crying with laughter in some scenes and totally entertained throughout. It isn’t often you can say one play includes cutlass duels, book-eating, cannibalism, a surprise wooden leg, hamster death, haikus and love triangles. I was blown away by the comedic skill of each cast member, and thought the whole experience was made all the more entertaining with a live violinist playing to match the mood of every scene.

Playing various characters, Cariad Lloyd especially impressed with her quick quips and pop-culture references, and every time I thought I knew what to expect, each cast member threw in a surprise to test their fellow actor’s improvisation skills (which they always passed with flying colours!). Of course, story fumbles, forgetting their own names, and accent confusion just added to the hilarity.

I would highly recommend Austentatious to anyone wanting guaranteed laughter, great performances and satirical fun. It is currently on tour, on its way next to Salford, Winchester, Bath and other cities across the UK, but can also be seen on the West End at the Vaudeville Theatre every Monday throughout 2025.

Visit www.austentatiousimpro.com for more information and to buy tickets.