Review: ‘The Improv Musical 2016’ by MTW

Have you ever imagined Kim Kardashian and Donald Drumpf on Noah’s Ark? Do you think that sounds bizarre? Well, MTW’s Improv Musical “My milkshake brings all the boys to the Ark” combined those, and much more, magnificently.

As an improvised musical, the audience had the power to choose the setting, the characters, the musical’s title, and the first song. This means the musical could go in any direction, as major components of the musical lay in the audience’s hands.

Have you ever imagined Kim Kardashian and Donald Drumpf on Noah’s Ark?

Laughing, the majority decided they wanted to see all the actors and actresses on Noah’s Ark. Donald Drumpf was chosen as the first character almost immediately. We then had to vote on whether the next character should be Kim Kardashian or a McDonald’s worker. Naturally, we decided that Kim Kardashian should be working at McDonald’s.

After audience members decided the first song would be called “Do you want fries with that?” the cast, thinking on their feet as the ideas were suggested, started their performance.

Donald Drumpf did not like that Noah was on his way to America, since all the animals would steal the farmland of the American animals. Therefore, he tried to bomb the ship – but fell in love with a puppy.

Naturally, we decided that Kim Kardashian should be working at McDonald’s.

The entire cast played and sang brilliantly. Paddy Shakespeare-Hill’s imitation of Kim Kardashian was comedy gold (if at times over-the-top); it involved taking countless selfies throughout, as well as having a scream loud enough to stop time bombs.

Florian Panzieri’s Donald Drumpf, who wanted to make America (and zoos) great again, was outstanding as well. His song about his love for his dog, following Noah’s wife Mary’s plead to have a heart (sung amazingly by Danielle Sharp) was fantastic. Also remarkable was Charlotte Beesley’s performance as the puppy Drumpf falls in love with.

Improvising not only the spoken text, but complete song lyrics must be incredibly hard. The cast, however, managed this excellently. The actors’ singing and improvisation abilities were both remarkable. Their voices chimed perfectly together. Credit must also be given to pianist Jonah Trenouth, who accompanied the singers and complemented their improvisation perfectly.

The troupe’s witty improvisation skills and the unusual plot created a clever, funny and always entertaining show.

Although the piano was occasionally a little bit louder than the singers’ voices, the whole show was extremely impressive and great fun. The troupe’s witty improvisation skills and the unusual plot created a clever, funny and always entertaining show.

The audience was certainly enthusiastic about the musical. After a standing ovation, some audience members were singing ‘Safe and Sound’ while leaving the Studio.

The Improv Musical is a MTW brand, which even performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last summer. Their next performance will be on 7 May 2016, a date well worth putting in your diary.