ANYTHING can happen in Showstoppers as audiences let their imaginations run wild.

The improvised musical show returns to Salisbury Playhouse on Friday (January 25).

The cast transform suggestions of setting, genre and style from the audience into a fully-realised musical.

The audience can even name that night’s show, which is added to the Showstoppers’ archive.

On what to expect from Showstoppers, co-creator Adam Meggido says: "A musical with catchy songs, dazzling dance routines, sweeping storylines and hilarious characters.

"The only difference with our show is that everything is entirely made up on the spot out of audience suggestions. It’s all 100 per cent improvised."

In the autumn of 2015 it became the first long-form improv show to have a full run in the West End at the Apollo Theatre.

And in April 2016, the show became the first improv show ever to be nominated, and subsequently win, an Olivier Award (Best Entertainment and Family Show).

"About ten years ago, some of us were working with the great theatre maverick Ken Campbell. Ken was inspired by a troupe he had seen in Canada called Die Nasty. He said their improvisation was so slick, entertaining and impressive that it was better than a great deal of scripted theatre. We decided to do the same with a musical. The Showstoppers love musicals - and we love improvisation - so this project was a perfect fit for us all," explains Adam.

On what makes a good improv performance, he says: "The basic principles are actually quite simple. The rest is practice. It's mostly about listening. Real listening. Listening to each other’s ideas, agreeing with them immediately and building on them. For Showstopper of course we have to know our musicals so a huge amount of hard work is part of that recipe too."

"It honestly is entirely improvised with no plants or stooges. Some people have seen the show 50 or 60 times. They would have said something by now if they thought we were cheating. Anyway, where’s the fun in having plants in the audience? We genuinely want to be challenged," adds Adam.

When asked if audiences try and bamboozle the cast with outlandish suggestions, he says: "A great deal. Usually the ideas are not as imaginative as they initially think. Setting our show 'in a toilet' or 'on the moon' sound outlandish until you realise 1) everybody says it so it’s not very original at all and 2) it would be interesting for about 2 minutes and wouldn’t necessarily sustain a 90 minute show.

"We ask the audience to try to dream up their best ideas and come up with something genuinely inspiring that makes a great musical. Having said that, if you really want it set in a toilet on the moon, we’ll do it."