The Improv Musical returns to Fringe as strong as ever with a silly, fun, toe-tapping show. Children and adults alike roar with laughter at the cast’s shenanigans as they surprise us at every turn. The best part? Every single show is utterly unique, making it a limitless watch.
Children and adults alike roar with laughter at the cast’s shenanigans as they surprise us at every turn
The show is guided by an MC, who introduces the band and cast, takes the suggestions from the audience, and writes the show’s song titles as they go along. From the offset we feel in safe hands as he asks the audience for a location, two characters and a title, which are democratically chosen by which one receives the loudest screams. Taking suggestions from the audience is always risky business, but the troupe do well in avoiding political, religious and contentious content.
With a slightly shaky opening number, I thought that what lay ahead was some of the inevitable risks of improvised musicals: repetitive lyrics, hackneyed jokes and performers that more closely resembled rabbits in headlights. This was far from the reality. The cast took it in turns to step forward in pairs to form the next chapter of the story, with structured duets and scenes that were full of one-liners and off-the-wall ideas. Just like in a real musical, there was a range of ballads, show tunes, love songs and action songs, all of which felt new and exciting.
The cast is on stage for the entire performance, acting as a chorus to accompany the current duet. To my utter disbelief, there is absolutely no conferring during transitions, and decisions are made with boldness, with no hesitation towards who is going to start the song first. It is perfectly conventional, (expected, even) for casts of similar improvised shows to at least nod at their costars, ensuring everyone is on the same page. It is a mystery how The Improv Musical cast succeeded without this.
It would be a crime to ignore the quality of the singing, which should be applauded. Hesitation is the enemy of vocal clarity, accuracy and tonality; however, the cast thrived in this uncertain territory, adding runs, riffs and harmonies to every song.
I take my hat off to the cast of The Improv Musical. Anyone who can spontaneously rap as Goofy, make Dora the Explorer the agéd villain we never knew she could be and sing in an Australian accent is a winner in my book.
