The Edinburgh Evening News – Chaos Control

4 Stars

“Undoubtedly you will see slicker improv shows this year. Almost certainly you’ll see them in better, bigger and far more comfortable venues, but it is extremely unlikely you will see funnier or a more purely enjoyable show than The Noise Next Door.

If being quick on your feet is the key to improv then these five young men are the Usain Bolts of the game. Out of, frankly, weak suggestions from the night’s crowd, they were able to populate their universe with giraffes hidden in public toilets, asthmatic goats and giant aggressive cucumbers.

Their musical numbers showed desperate inventiveness. To be fair they’ve yet to master a diversity of musical styles, with most songs ending up in a soft rock melange, but the plucked-from-the-air lyrics were still impressive. The sheer volume of laughter this show produced was astonishing.”

**** (Neil McEwan)