The title says it all. Impromptunes: The Completely Improvised Musical is possibly the most unrehearsed, unpredictable and absolutely hilarious hour you will see at this year’s MICF. A popular feature on last year’s bill, Impromptunes once again delight audiences with a musical made up entirely on the spot based on one crowd member’s suggested title.
That title on this evening was ‘Babies Taste Like Broccoli’. No one said this was going to be easy. Yet with but a flutter of an eyelid, the cast (led by Melbourne cabaret fixture Tash York) launched into a story that contained as much sadness as laughter, sense as nonsense and irrelevance as intricate plotlines.
Moving swiftly from an Alabama small town to the ‘big city’ of Melbourne (by horse, no less), the central character spent much of the musical trying to avoid killing children (and having little luck) and getting back to her family. Characters included a soulful, mourning mother, an obsessive accountant for buskers, a dim-witted policeman and Matt Preston as a guest judge on Australian Idol.
It takes a seasoned professional to hold a room on pure spontaneity, particularly when making up songs from scratch. Hats off to the pianist for literally never missing a beat. And the best part of it all – no matter how many times you see Impromptunes, you’ll never see the same thing again!
BY JEN WILSON
