WHAT: Confetti Gun and Post-ITS
WHERE: The Factory Theatre
WHEN: February 18 (one night only — but watch out for both groups’ shows at the Sydney Comedy Festival in May)
It isn’t often that one enters a theatre as clueless about what to expect as the actors themselves. Yet such is the thrillingly spontaneous nature of improv. Top-tier Australian troupes Confetti Gun and Post-ITS joined forces on Saturday night to offer two hours of laughter, skits, and witty one-liners — all completely unplanned.
Confetti Gun opened the show with gusto; a cheeky audience prompt of “How’s your mum doing?” providing all the inspiration the performers needed for an hour’s worth of giggles. From militant primary schoolers to a hoodwinked tourist (played by the delightful Maddie Parker) the show was replete with snappy one liners and hilarious accents of huge variety. The physicality of the troupe is a joy to behold as they morph from bratty twelve year olds at boot camp into conniving locals on a mission to kidnap an unsuspecting foreigner at the train station. The chemistry and trust between the girls is self-evident; despite the complete spontaneity of the skits, they never miss a beat or break character.
The second half of the show changed pace with the Post-ITS troupe taking the stage for a quirky and unconventional series of skits inspired by audience-written post-it notes. Nonsensical scenes from sparring clowns to a befuddled zookeeper were kept short and snappy, ensuring that the audience was kept on their toes. Of particular note is Juliet Rae Timmerman’s hilariously naïve performance as she juggles the affections of two lovesick bartenders. The latter section of the Post-ITS performance offered up an endearingly comedic old doctor on her last legs and a misunderstood Australian teen with sick beats and a tough Dad.
Both Confetti Gun and Post-ITS were hilarious and ripe with fresh young talent. The improve-comedy scene seems to be acquiring quite a following, and rightfully so. In short, the show was equal parts smart, funny and utterly unexpected.
