Blank: An Improvised Musical - Sydney Fringe Festival (2023)

Musical Accompaniment by Nick Harriott. Created by Little Triangle as part of the Sydney Fringe Festival.

Reviewed by Justin Clarke

Castlereagh Boutique Hotel, Cabaret Club - Club Room

Until 23rd September, 2023

Tickets: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/blank-an-improvised-musical/

4 STARS

- Little Triangle's latest musical offering is wildly absurd, improvised fun! -

A staple of any Fringe Festival is a piece of improvised theatre. A much more delightful staple is enjoying an improvised musical! Little Triangle theatre company has made a name for themselves in recent years for their quirky and energetic productions that leave audiences with a smile and a sense of giddy joy. Their latest offering, Blank: An Improvised Musical continues this trend in their quest to explore the world of improv. The result is one hour of ridiculously enjoyable musical joy!

Leading the charge are improvisers Sarah Gaul, Jacinta Gregory and Orya Golgowsky, accompanied by Nick Harriott on piano. Throughout their short run in the fancy schmancy Castlereagh Boutique Hotel are a slew of Little Triangle special guests including tonight’s guest Rob Johnson. The other guests joining the season include Madeleine Wighton, Jared Choong, Bridie Connell and Katelin Koprivec.

With a banner of stars stretching over the stage, Gaul, Gregory and Golgowsky (missed opportunity for an alliterative ‘G’ named group) and special guest enter warming up for the show with trills, tongue twisters and sweating over possible producers in the audience - they have headshots! Before long they’re pulling possible ideas from the audience for the worst places to go on a date (possible options, a cemetery, the parent’s house, Opporto) followed by differing styles of genre of any kind. Tonight’s blank musical….Cemetery: The Hospital Drama the Musical!

With Harriott providing a variety of musical stylings throughout, the cast wasted no time in jumping straight into the absurd plot, flexing their improvisation skills with a tight ensemble. Johnson’s knack for comic timing became clearly apparent from his introduction of Doctor Bad News who was searching for the cure for a broken heart with sinister intentions. Gaul introduced her wandering Ghost who haunted the cemetery bored and appearing only as a wisp of vape smoke. Whereas Gregory and Golgowsky created a burgeoning love affair from their two characters who “both need love”.

Pop this one on your “must see” list for the Sydney Fringe before they go!

Little Triangle’s latest production is an absurd amount of fun with some genuine laugh out loud moments. Proving why musical improv should be on your must-see list for any Fringe, the cast conjure up memorable moments on the spot with finesse. The only thing the show needed was more musical songs to live up to its improvised musical name. It was often that the cast fell into creating comedy scenes (which were genuinely funny) over Harriots piano backing. The moments that offered the highlights of Blank were when the cast summoned rhymes and sequences in different musical stylings complete with harmonies.

Pop this one on your “must see” list for the Sydney Fringe before they go! If you’ve seen it already, why not go again? It’s a different show each night, and who knows, maybe your wild offerings will play out in front of your very eyes.

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19 - 23 Sep | 1 hour

Venue 1: Cabaret Club - Club Room

Content warnings: Coarse Language, Verbal Audience Interaction

Cabaret Club - Club Room

The Castlereagh Boutique Hotel Level 1, 169 Castlereagh Street, Sydney 2000 (Gadigal Country)

Telephone: 02 7813 4527

How to enter:

"Access Assistance" button at door and ramp can be extended. Staff to assist. Elevators accessible, step free access throughout Hotel. Accessible bathrooms available.