Musical Bang Bang @ Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre, Adelaide 14/6/2024
Fresh from Sydney’s Hayes Theatre and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the mayhem of Musical Bang Bang tore through the Adelaide Cabaret Festival like a cyclone.
Hosted by Jane Watt (Godspell) and Rob Johnson (Calamity Jane), Musical Bang Bang brought together a talented ensemble of comedic mischief-makers to create a never-before-seen live theatre spectacular. It is accurate to say that nobody knew what was happening at any given moment, including the cast, crew and audience. That’s what made it magic!
Joining Watt and Johnson were Orya Golgowsky, Julia Zemiro, Cabaret Festival Artistic Director Virginia Gay, Tom Cardy, and Victoria Falconer on piano accompaniment. They demonstrated courage, folly, and conviction to create a stage show on the spot. Not just a stage show but a one-night-only unscripted musical.
Opening with an array of short-form improv titled iMovie Shuffle, the show delved head-first into madness. Happily, it didn’t return. The cast then transitioned into a love song dedication to audience member Chloe. With themes of flirting, Die Hard 2, the Mall’s Balls and eyes, it was no top 10 hit, but it was hilariously unforgettable. Kudos goes to Gay for her flawless interweaving of ‘yippee-ki-yay mother fucker’ into an already absurd moment.
The absurdity continued with The Pageant.
The Pageant was musical theatre unlike anything seen before. With motifs of children’s beauty pageants, Michael Jackson, glitter, jazz, and someone called Bob Brittneys, it told the story of…well, I’m not quite sure.
There was Michael, an eccentric whose family runs children’s beauty pageants. Also, his daughter Michelle, a nineteen-year-old pageant contest Virgina who pretended to be five years old so she could enter the children’s beauty pageant, her mother Julia, her dead dad, a grandfather, his grandson James, a shed, and the mayor, who may or may not have been an integral character.
Nothing made sense, yet oddly, everything fell into place.
The Pageant was a laugh-a-minute riot. It shone in its nonsensicalness. Generating genuine belly laughs from the audience and cast alike, it was a masterclass in improv musical theatre.
Musical Bang Bang was improv at its finest. Combining creativity and comedy with an all-star cast, it was a phenomenal night of unscripted musical theatre and a highlight of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.
Adelaide Cabaret Festival Review By Anita Kertes