Review: Talking Head Twice at the Unity Theatre ***1/2

Liverpool Improvisation Festival returns to the Unity this May with a programme of shows from some of the genre's brightest talent.

Ahead of that, LiF organiser Wing it Impro took the chance to present a new idea currently in development in what was a well-received scratch performance which brought the Unity’s 2026 Up Next Festival to a close.

Boasting the tagline 'Inspired by Bennett. Shaped by you', Talking Head Twice offers a huge nod to the nonagenarian playwright and all-round master craftsman of words, channelling Bennett-ian wit, eccentricity and keen eye for both the prosaic and profound in an evening of spontaneous theatre that celebrates human connection.

As with other work-in-progress staged as part of this year’s Up Next, Talking Head Twice has a sound premise and lots to admire, even in its current early iteration.

And Wing it Improv maestro Mark Smith and actor Keddy Sutton, herself no slouch when it comes to crafting intriguing characters, form a very likeable and harmonious double act.

A handful of props (including, another nod to Bennett, a typewriter) are used sparingly, with the two performers taking it in turns to tell their tales directly to the audience.

That audience at this scratch night was asked to pluck random shapes from a bag which themselves then shaped disparate ‘talking head’ character vignettes. The Unity crowd produced three triangles, a rectangle and two circles.

I presumed each shape would inform a single sketch, but despite an AV prompt on the giant screen backcloth, I managed to lose track of where we were in the running order. Certainly, there seemed more sketches than shapes which was a bit confusing.

Above: Keddy Sutton. Top: Mark Smith with Sutton in the background in Talking Head Twice. Photos by AB Photography.

Sutton brings with her a warmth, wily turn of phrase and deadpan precision, while Smith radiates quiet empathy for all those living at the margins of society.

Both are incredibly skilful, exemplified by the way they smoothly inserted their characters into succeeding monologues, despite them being created on the hoof, and brought them slowly together until they ultimately met in a talking heads two-hander.

A couple of monologues felt like they meandered on a bit and eventually wandered out of focus. Conciseness should perhaps be a consideration as the show is developed and finessed.

But I loved the unique storytelling aspect of what remains, despite its scripted inspiration, an improvised theatrical event, one driven by the direct involvement of its audience. And it’s certainly a concept that has legs as well as heads.