Istvan Dugalin ➤

The ensemble of “Holiday! An Improvised Musical”, Photo by Istvan Dugalin

I’m wary of improv comedy. At best, I find it awkward and wildly inconsistent, a hodgepodge of highs and lows; at worst, it can be excruciatingly dull and cringey. To my astonishment, Holiday! An Improvised Musical not only kept me invested for 75 minutes straight, I often forgot it was all being made up on the spot, it’s so impressively tight, fluid and seamless. Presented by Bad Dog Theatre in association with Factory Theatre, this giddy little gem takes its cues from Stephen Sondheim’s 1970s concept musical Company about a collection of yuppies and their relationship angst.

The show is bookended by a number that seems almost directly ripped from that show’s titular song, with plenty of subtle, referential riffs throughout the rest of Scott Christian’s improvised score. They aren’t great songs, but they do work in context and feel authentically Musical Theatre. The plot of the opening night show sees Bobby (Reid Janisse) throw a holiday party during which people in his life collide dramatically.

There’s the ingratiating new girlfriend (Stephanie Malek), his aggressive ex-wife (Ashley Botting), Nadine Djoury and Sam Hancock as obnoxious twin sisters, and an ethically dubious professor (Kyah Green) with their current student-lover (Ann Paula Bautista). Everyone is firing on all cylinders here. Outfits are on point—in particular, Janisse’s frumpy khaki and brown corduroy ground him as a hapless central figure. Character quirks, motivations, and interpersonal dynamics are all well-defined and compelling. The musical numbers fall into all the right places and each moves the story forward.

Fully in-sync with each other and Christian on keyboard, the actors find the sound, rhythm and structure of each song with barely a mis-step. Even the minor snags and bumps are efficiently smoothed out by this capable ensemble. Sondheim’s work tends to embody the rhythms of emotionally charged conversation, the musicality capturing that off-kilter humanness, and the company channel that energy here. It’s so satisfying to see background actors discover, in real time, how they can add choral support to nudge a good moment into a cheesy little setpiece!

Even the most glaring hiccup becomes a hilarious opportunity—a song that takes forever to catch, the same opening notes looping over and over again as Hancock, Djoury and Malek hesitate. They milked this temporary set-back for all it’s worth—knowing, of course, precisely when the train needs to get back on track before we all jump off.

And it isn’t just the songs that fall into place. The dialogue has momentum and consistent purpose. (Botting, in particular, has a real flair for iconic entrance lines and scene buttons.) We know exactly who these people are and what they want at any given time. Each of them is endearing in their own way. (Bautista’s drunken interjections and overall vibe really tickled me.)

This level of on the fly character development, effective story beats and consistent world-building is so incredibly difficult to pull off well and have it seem so effortless. Creator and director Jan Caruana has put together a solid, emphatically responsive team. Aurora Browne and Brandon Hackett also feature in this rotating cast, though they were not part of the opening night ensemble I took in.

I wish I had time to catch it again. Each show will unfold differently, of course, and I’d love to see unique ideas sprout and blossom.

Holiday! An Improvised Musical
running December 11 to 21, 2024
Factory Theatre, Studio (125 Bathurst St.)
running time: 75 minutes (no intermission)

Promo image for “Holiday! An Improvised Musical”