IT is a truth universally acknowledged that a cast in possession of a good venue must be in want of a script.

In this case, the cast was the six-member improv-troupe Austentatious, the venue was the White Rose Rotunda, and the script was prompted by an audience suggestion.

On entry to the spiegletent, the public were invited to write down the name of a book Jane Austen might have written. The cast picked one out of a hat and the show began.

The actors promise that no two shows can be the same. "There are no pre-arranged characters, plot twists or dialogue" they insist at the start.

On Wednesday evening before a packed crowd, they embarked into the great unknown with a performance of Man's Field Perk.

Fan of legendary TV show Friends picked up on the references immediately as Rachel and Ross met in a coffee shop not in New York, but in Georgian England. Chandler and Phoebe popped up too, as the hour-long show descended into a good, old-fashioned, chuckling farce.

There were lots of "perks" on display: down-on-his-luck Ross was in need of a position after gambling away the family fortune. He visited the Admiralty where he was offered chocolate-covered Shredded Wheats, a parrot for his shoulder, a foot massage and a spot of knee suckling! Yes it was that kind of night, where anything seemed to go.

Which takes you straight to the root of this show's charm. The unexpected collides with the ridiculous as the characters ride a rollercoaster through Georgian manners and Austen-like characters and situations.