★★★★☆
Impromptunes: The Completely Improvised Musical returns to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2026 with a brand-new burst of fully improvised musical theatre mayhem.
Since first appearing in 2013, the troupe has become a familiar and welcome fixture on the comedy circuit, popping up everywhere from Melbourne to Edinburgh with their quick-witted, anything-can-happen style.
Their specialty is hour-long musicals built entirely on the spot. Each one is sparked by a single audience suggestion and spun into something surprisingly and hilariously cohesive.
Last night’s offering, Monopoly Or Die, was a title that promised chaos from the outset, rich with comedic possibility.
In a blink, the ensemble landed on Sunday Nights at Grandma’s House as their setting. They grounded the madness in something warmly familiar and instantly nostalgic.
The audience tiptoed through a maze of possibilities alongside the cast as we were introduced to Samantha and Jarred. Devoted grandchildren, they were determined to protect their grandmother’s valuable board game collection from the scheming lawyer Mr Brown.
The score leaned gleefully into musical theatre tradition, serving up Mr Brown’s full-throttle villain anthem Family Trust. There was an obligatory I-want number Roll the Dice, Roll It Twice. The raucous Act Two opener, Yours Is Yours and Yours Is Mine, saw the ensemble double as shamelessly opportunistic removalists, helping themselves to their clients’ belongings.
The show built to a gleefully absurd showdown, with Jarred and Mr Brown facing off in a high-stakes Twist Off to decide who could rightfully claim Grandma’s prized board game collection.
As with any improvised show, it’s not only the winning ideas that charm. It is the gloriously off-course ones that veer wildly astray and draw the loudest laughs.
While the entire cast performed with enviable confidence, the night’s unofficial MVP honours belonged to the formidable musicians. Their instinct for tracking the story’s twists and turns and shaping a musical landscape to match in real time was nothing short of remarkable.
The real magic of Monopoly Or Die lay in its vanishing act: a musical that exists for one night only, serving as both its opening and closing performance.
Thankfully, this isn’t the final bow for this wonderfully whimsical troupe. There are plenty more performances still to come across the festival.
So if you’ve ever wanted to see your own bizarre brainwave brought to life—whether it’s The Hat That Knew Too Much, Space Barista, or Goblin Tax Audit—head along to Impromptunes and throw it into the mix. You never quite know; it might just become a full-blown musical adventure before your eyes.
Impromptunes: The Completely Improvised Musical runs to 19 April as part of the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Trades Hall – Solidarity Hall, corner Lygon and Victoria Streets Carlton Vic 3053.
Tickets: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/impromptunes-the-completely-improvised-musical/
Website: https://www.impromptunes.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/impromptunes/
Images supplied.
