The Improvised Musical

If you are looking for one of the most innovative and surreal musicals at the Fringe this year you need look no further. Having warmed up the audience and stolen from them anything that might make an interesting prop the company turned to deciding the outcome of the evening. Location. Powerful mid-musical showstopper. Title. Every element conceivable in constructing a modern day musical is begged from and decided by the audience. Whatever the cynics out there might say I sincerely believe that there was no pre-structured outcome to a musical called Where’s my artificial heart? set on an allotment featuring a number called “The Olive Came at Midnight”. The company even offered members of the audience cards which they could interrupt with at their own discretion providing the audience with an aside from the main show.

The cast, decided on the details, launched into a fully fledged opening number with no allowance for discussion between them and no director providing them with a specific outline. The audience witnessed fully improvised song, including some great harmony, which wasn’t subtle but was incredibly clever and witty considering it was completely improvised. The cast are evidently well trained and talented musicians riffing ad lib with some strong vocal particularly from Lara (I believe) who played the lead Clarissa. The musicians were fabulous, improvising underneath a scene when they felt the moment ripe, or waiting to be led by a member of the company. Hilarity generally ensued. Even when it was clear a cast member was struggling with direction – or marvelling at the sheer ridiculousness of what they were creating – it was always quietly acknowledged whether with a slightly quizzical look from the person delivering it or with howls of laughter from their colleagues behind them. This was completely endearing and made those moments of struggle brilliant rather than awkward.

The only negative I think was quite plain was that there were some stand out members of the company, and those that were clearly less strong. Perhaps it’s the nature of the beast that is improvisation which means that occasionally you might just suffer an off day. Anyway, despite this I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and am seriously considering another visit to what will surely be another equally ridiculous, utterly hilarious evening of completely original musical theatre.

CS

Lashings of Ginger Beer Time

Mercilessly deconstructing gender, exploring feminism and fighting prejudice through parodic song, sketch and stand-up this refreshing and highly intelligent team are well worth a visit this Festival. Although not always slick, and at times perceptibly nervous they have absolutely no need to be: their message is compelling, important and mostly bang on target (the first number I must admit flew right over my head). They also, in this quagmire of satire and spoof where it would be so easy to slip into lecture mode, manage to be really quite hilarious. Their voices are not the most stunning or melodic at the Fringe I think it is fair to say. In fact I was bitterly disappointed that the lyrics of what seemed to be a really interesting number exploring women and the sex industry were completely lost in some awkward harmony/microphone rustling. Yet, the musical numbers themselves sparkle with a wonderful fusion of wit and outrage that I absolutely adored.

Special mention must go to Sally Outon who performed some of the most interesting and original stand-up comedy I have seen at the Fringe taking the audience on a whistle-stop tour of gender, that psycho sociological construct we all know and love, genital removal and bringing down Feminism from the inside! If only Lashings of Ginger Beer could land themselves on the national curriculum. Truancy would be guaranteed to drop and the nation might finally discontinue that charming breed of homophobic misogynist we all know and despise. But enough of my plans for political takeover – Go and see this razor sharp cabaret, I guarantee you will leave feeling highly stimulated.

CS