Improvised Musical, An

C soco    6 - 31 August @ 11.15   

The cheery troupe from No Shoes Theatre get right in amongst the audience as we come in to the space at C Soco, begging for objects that can be incorporated into their spontaneous show. This is a good idea as the audience are involved right from the start of this off the cuff musical. The six performers are supported by a three-piece band – all clearly talented and ready to have a great deal of fun.

As an ensemble, the cast support each other fairly well as they move through the potential minefield of an improvised musical – in this particular case, set in a playgroup… (Blame the audience – they chose it!) Several innovations are introduced to give the audience more involvement – a ‘spotlight moment’ and a ‘channel hop’ are produced at the command of the member of the audience who ‘won’ the quiz to change the pace or flow of the piece.

I think the issue here was that so much is left to the audience – exciting in its own way – but risky for the cast in terms of delivering a quality piece of musical theatre. One feels that the potential for these performers to shine is somewhat limited rather than liberated and I would recommend that the show has a few more rules to help it become a true showcase for their undoubted talents.