26/08/23

Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two), Edinburgh

Heard the one about four strangers locked in a gender neutral toilet? The ones who make a proper song and dance about it? Well, believe it or not, that’s the premise for Public – the Musical – and before you say that sounds like a terrible idea, let me assure you that this breezy, heartwarming production is one of the most downright enjoyable things I’ve seen at this year’s Fringe.

Laura (Alicia Corrales) thinks they see their partner kissing another woman in the street and seeks refuge in a public toilet. There they encounter ditzy, super-privileged but somehow adorable Zo (Annabel Marlowe), ultra-macho Andrew (Andrew Patrick-Walker), dressed in tight-fitting bicycle Lycra and over-anxious Finlay (Hugo Rolland), who was due to attend a meeting at the DSS and may be penalised for his absence.

Forced to spend an hour together, the mismatched quartet set about alternately bickering and trying to get to know each other. Think of this as an updated Breakfast Club and you’ll pretty much have the measure of it. But of course, John Hughes’s protagonists didn’t have songs and Public has plenty of them, a mix of exuberant poppy bangers and plaintive ballads. All four actors have terrific voices (particularly Patrick-Walker, who hits some impressive high notes) and when their voices are joined in harmony the result is sublime.

The script, by Kyla and Natalie Stroud with Hannah Sands, is perceptive and inclusive – and if a short stretch starts to feel suspiciously like Educating Andrew well that’s no big deal: the message is an important one. The Strouds have also written the songs with Olivia Zacharia, and the fact that Public has been long-listed for the Popcorn Prize makes perfect sense. I’d originally planned to do this review as a series of puns about toilets – you know, ‘best seat in the house,’ ‘fighting the cistern,’ that kind of thing. But this is too darned likeable to make dumb jokes about.

I always hate to announce a must-see so late in the Fringe but, if you’re looking for a rousing, cheerful way to complete your visit to Edinburgh, grab some tickets while you still can.

It’s more than just a flash in the pan. (Sorry!)

4.7 stars

Philip Caveney