One would generally hear the phase “Live A Capella Comedy Group’ and either wince, stare blankly or walk away hurriedly. I, on the other hand, read the entire poster and walked away hurriedly to buy tickets. It was The Blanks after all and it was worth more than what I paid to see it.
Having never seen a live A Capella comedy act before it was hard to know what to expect and the majority of the audience seemed to feel similarly. The only previous contact most people would have with The Blanks is their appearance on Scrubs as Ted’s band who are sometimes called The Worthless Peons, which is quite different to a live comedy situation. However, once they got into the swing of the act it didn’t take too long for the audience to warm to the performance they put on.
The act itself was planned brilliantly, the pacing and timing of jokes was impeccable and their execution was often met by roaring laughter, as it should have been. They set up an amusing storyline to follow, the exposition of which added to the comedy immensely. From their reprise performances of songs like Underdog and the Speed Racer theme tune, which they first performed on Scrubs, to more original pieces involving a dancing Mrs. Kringle toy being doused in water in a Flashdance homage, they never failed to get a laugh.
The show had everything it needed; storyline, problems that needed to be overcome, engaging the audience, drama, high stakes, guest appearances by singing toys, who could ask for more? Their ingenuity in creating amusing pieces of music was astounding, inspiring and absolutely hilarious.
The Blanks are currently on their Australian Tour and appear to have made an unplanned stop in Armidale as it was not on their official tour schedule. It was a night to be remembered.
Review: Katya Gladiadis
