Cameron Johnson

Bliss

14/08/26

Pleasance Courtyard (Grand), Edinburgh

Bliss is currently being talked about as ‘the next Six.’ It’s easy to see why. Both offer revisionist stories where young women are placed centre stage. But while Six is based on actual historical events, Bliss chooses the traditional fairy tale for a makeover. If we’re merely talking about popularity, the massive crowd at the Pleasance Grand is proof that this show is exactly what it needs to be: a big, loud, glittering musical that has everyone clapping along to its upbeat songs and swooning to its power ballads.

Four teenage princesses live in a secluded tower, locked away from the world by their widowed father, The King (Cameron Johnson), apparently for their own safety. They are Piper (Askshara Gunda), Carmella (Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby), Faye (Miriam Nyarko) and Holly (Matilda Shapland). As they spend so much time with only each other for company, they have each developed expertise in the subjects that interest them most. Piper specialises in astronomy and, when she discovers that a rare meteor is due to arrive, she longs to find a way to go outside and watch it.

The girls use their combined knowledge to escape but, once outside, they encounter something much more interesting – young Prince Devin (Jordan Calloway), who looks like he’s on day-release from a boy band, but who has a way of knocking out a song that has Piper’s heart fluttering. It turns out he’s soon to be hosting a party where he’ll choose a bride. How can Piper wangle an invite?

Right on cue, along comes Fairy Godfather, Glimmermore (Tom Bennett, appropriately decked out in pink robes). He assures Piper that she has a perfectly good chance of securing an invitation, and he can see to it that she gets her deepest wish…

Happily, the writers have the good sense to point out that being chosen as a bride isn’t necessarily a good thing, since Glimmermore’s posse of eligible females all have something of the Stepford Wives about them – and maybe it’s not the best outcome a young woman can hope for…

Sheryl Kaller directs with aplomb and, with book, music and lyrics by Emma Lively and Tyler Beatty, and well-drilled choreography by Josh Prince, Bliss packs plenty of energetic singing and hoofing into its 90 minute running time.

If there’s an issue for me, it’s the lack of jeopardy in the story. Glimmermore is the closest this show has to an actual villain, but there’s never any intimation that he has any real power over those he inducts into his cult-like following – and, as it turns out, his attempts to threaten anyone are instantly dispelled by a fatal flaw he gives away early in the proceedings.

Still, there’s no ignoring the enthusiasm of that standing ovation, which threatens to lift the roof off the venue. Could Bliss become the next Six?

Maybe if the creators wish hard enough, their dreams will come true…

4 stars

Philip Caveney

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

03/03/20

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Nobody’s talking about sixteen-year-old Jamie New (Layton Williams). There’s nothing remarkable about him. His careers teacher, Miss Hedge (Lara Denning), predicts a future for him as a forklift truck driver. His friend, Pritti (Sharan Phull), does her best to help him to revise. Sure, class eejit Dean Paxton (George Sampson) enjoys a bit of homophobic bullying, but Jamie doesn’t let it get to him. It’s not like his sexuality is a secret.

He does have a secret though: he knows exactly what he wants to do when he leaves school – and it doesn’t involve any forklift trucks. Jamie wants to be a drag queen. But  Miss Hedge keeps banging on about being realistic, and Jamie doesn’t have the confidence to believe that he can realise his dream. Until his lovely mum (Amy Ellen Richardson) buys him some red high heels for his birthday, and Pritti challenges him to drag up for prom – if that’s what he wants to do.

And Jamie realises he’s going to have to come out for a second time.

This is a heartwarming story by Dan Gillespie Sells and Tom MacRae, reminiscent of Jonathan Harvey’s Beautiful Thing in its positive depiction of a young gay man, also called Jamie, loved and supported by his family and friends – although, of course, this one is true. Jamie New experiences very few obstacles: his dad (Cameron Johnson)’s a shit, but so what? He’s got Ray (Shobna Gulati), his mum’s gloriously gobby best mate, who’s always on hand to offer knock-off lippy and sage advice. He doesn’t need his dad. And if Miss Hedge is set against Jamie drawing attention to himself by wearing a dress to prom, clearly the only thing to do is to show her why she’s wrong.

Williams is very appealing in the lead role, and utterly convincing as the conflicted teen, veering between bravado and fear as he works out what kind of adult he wants to be. Shane Richie is hilarious, both as drag shop owner Hugo and his alter ego Loco Chanelle: he’s a seasoned performer with perfect comic timing, and he really knows how to elicit a big laugh. But the standouts are Phull and Gulati: the former’s plaintive singing is beautifully emotive, while the latter’s well-timed profanities are both audacious and refreshing.

It’s a shame the score is kind of meh, with only a couple of notable tunes and no real bangers that linger in the memory. Still, Katie Prince’s lively choreography complements Matt Ryan’s direction well, and I leave the theatre smiling, and glad to see that the real Jamie (Jamie Campbell) is clearly living his best life, posing for photos in a fabulous show gown, a million miles away from a fork lift truck.

 4 stars

Susan Singfield