Herald Sun Review 2012
“..like a box of chocolates: You never know what you’re going to get.” The Herald Sun
Herald Sun Review 2011
“IMPROVISED comedy – where anything can and will go wrong – is only for the game, but Melbourne-based group, The Baby Seals, make it look easy.“ The Herald Sun
Entertain Oz Review
“This gifted team of hilarious improvisers deliver interactive comedy with side-splitting results.” Entertain Oz
The Enthusiast Review
“..the cast are certainly more nimble performers than the majority of gormless stars shoved through the Thank God You’re Here door.” The Enthusiast
Adelaide Advertiser Review
“Not afraid to make fools of themselves for a laugh, or acknowledge the ridiculousness of some of their attempts, this group should have you in stitches with their quick-wit and creativity.” The Advertiser
St. Kilda Laughs Festival Article
Hey we got a write up in the Port Phillip Leader as part of the St. Kilda Laughs Festival.
St Kilda Laughs Festival 2009 – Review by Nick Spunde
Attack of the B-Grade Movie
B Movies have always been a great source of unintentional comedy and this show from improvisation troupe The Baby Seals aims to cash in on that. The set up is this – one member of the troupe plays a Hollywood hack writer struggling to come up with a script, the others act out the story being “written” though in reality they are making it up as they go along. To provide inspiration, and to prove that it’s all improvised, the “scriptwriter” requests cues (eg an object, an animal, a name) from the audience which the cast then have to incorporate into the increasingly zany performance. The writer can also change the direction of the “script” at any time – or put things up to audience vote – if things start going in too silly a direction. Which they do, frequently.
Words like “madcap” spring to mind. There’s been a few of these kinds of guided improvisation shows around lately and, in marketing speak, results may vary. Attack of the B Grade Movie was one of the better ones that I’ve seen. The device of having the writer character to act as compere and the structure of the B Movie storyline to guide the scenes gave the show a coherence that can become lost in improvised acts. The talented and inventive cast helped too. The tale that evolved out of their antics the night I went, about psychotic 60s folk singers brainwashing people with hidden messages in their songs, might not have been Oscar material but it was a lot of fun. Of course the great thing about this show is you can make it even more fun with your own wacky input. Start thinking of peculiar objects.