Edfringe 23

Public – the Musical

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

After This Plane Has Landed

20/08/23

theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall (Theatre 1), Edinburgh

If I were ever asked to compile a list of subjects unsuitable for musical adaptation – it’s an unlikely occurrence, but bear with me – the story of John McCarthy and Jill Morrell would probably figure fairly prominently.

McCarthy is the British journalist, who in 1986 was kidnapped in Lebanon and spent over five years in captivity, being systematically beaten and interrogated – hardly the stuff of song and dance. Meanwhile, back in England, his fiancée and fellow-journalist, Morrell, tirelessly campaigned to keep his name and his predicament in the public eye. And although (spoiler alert!) McCarthy was eventually released and returned safely to his homeland, the couple didn’t have anything resembling the traditional happy ending.

When we first meet John (Benedict Powell) and Jill (Claire Russell) they are on the London Underground. As the music swells and Russell readies herself to launch into the opening song, Powell actually expresses incredulity. “This is going to be a musical?” he cries. And if I’m honest, I’m of the same mind.

But my reservations are quickly swept aside as soon as they’re a few bars into one of Adrian Kimberlin’s lovely, melodic ballads. Both Powell and Russell are gifted vocalists, especially when their plaintive voices are joined together in harmony. The script (also by Kimberlin) is clever enough to occasionally remind us of the artificiality of the piece, and this meta-theatricality provides a useful touchstone.

Most interestingly, the section that deals with the aftermath of the kidnapping – John’s ongoing struggle to reclaim some kind of normal existence after the living hell he’s been through – yields some of the most poignant moments. And Jill gets her chance to shine too. I particularly love the ballad where she insists that she will not be dismissed as ‘the woman who waits’, that she has a life and an identity of her own. I have to confess to tearing up a little during that song.

After This Plane Has Landed is a sweet and engaging musical, based around a turbulent few years in the relationship of two real people. Against all my expectations, it makes for a very entertaining hour – and I’ve just had to cross two names off that imaginary list.

4.2 stars

Philip Caveney

The Hunger

19/08/23

Assembly George Square (Studio 3), Edinburgh

Somewhere in the wilds of the Yorkshire Dales, there’s something seriously wrong down on’t farm.

Deborah (Helen Fullerton) is desperately trying to protect herself and her teenage daughter, Megan (Madeleine Farnhill), as a terrifying epidemic holds the country in its sway. Something is turning ordinary people into creatures to be feared. Oh, they look normal but they have developed unnatural appetites.

The situation has been ongoing for a couple of years now, and is completely out of control, but Deborah is determined to soldier on, putting her trust in her free-range pigs, the way she always has. And thankfully, the prize sow is about to farrow, which will mean a fresh supply of good, wholesome food.

As for those occasional strangers who stumble upon the farm, they are dealt with in no uncertain terms because Deborah is very handy with a rifle and she’s not afraid to use it. She’s also determined to ensure that Megan will eat her three square meals a day…

The Hunger opens with a high-octane scene and keeps the same histrionic tone throughout. Both actors deliver intense, convincing performances, but I’m less happy with the storyline, which isn’t always entirely credible. If the two women have been cooped up together for so long, why does Megan have no idea what’s happening? There’s a revelation waiting down the line but this aspect of the script conspires to defuse it somewhat and, when it finally comes, it isn’t exactly a surprise.

A tense, horror-tinged production from Black Bright Theatre, this is the kind of dystopian end-of-the-world scenario that’s currently enjoying much popularity (and there are definitely echoes of The Last of Us here), but it needs a little more light to go with all that unremitting shade. Still, it keeps me hooked throughout, and I particularly enjoy the tense, open-ended conclusion, which steadfastly refuses to allow the audience to relax as we leave the theatre.

Maybe skip the visit to the kebab house on the way home.

3.8 stars

Philip Caveney

The Umbilical Brothers: The Distraction

15/08/23

Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Although this is (almost) our first experience of The Umbilical Brothers, they’ve been around for a long time, successfully plying their madcap blend of mime and soundscapes to appreciative audiences since the mid-90s.

We caught a glimpse of the sort of show they’re best known for at the Assembly Gala Launch, where David Collins performed a series of ever-more complex and surreal actions, accompanied by Shane Dundas’s weird and wonderful sound effects.

The Distraction is something else entirely though, a departure from their established style – although still just as silly and inventive. This show is all about the tech, specifically green screens and multiple cameras, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

You can almost hear them saying, “That’d be fun!” and then adding a series of ‘what-ifs’ until a show’s worth of shenanigans has been established.

Even while we’re waiting for the sell-out audience to file in, we get a sense of how cheery it’s going to be, as a series of groan-worthy jokes is displayed on the big screen that dominates the stage. It’s a canny move, setting the tone for the next hour.

There are some tech glitches in the first ten minutes, and it’s hard to tell if they’re real or part of the act. If the former, no matter – the delay is entertaining in itself. If, as I suspect, the latter is true, it’s a neat move, instilling a sense of jeopardy, and reminding the audience to be impressed by how much computer wizardry is being used.

Over the next sixty minutes, the duo mine the possibilities of live green-screen action, taking us from outer space to the depths of the ocean, via TV sports (played with babies – don’t ask), a guest appearance from Steve Jobs and more than one exploding head. There is audience participation – but not as you know it. And there are lots of dolls. If this all sounds like an amorphous mass of nonsense, then that’s exactly what it is – but brilliantly so.

I defy anyone to watch The Distraction without laughing all the way through.

4.5 stars

Susan Singfield