From voice-straining high notes to limb-spraining high kicks, via on-stage smooches and off-stage feuds, award-winning musical revue I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical presents everything that you could possibly want to know about being a musical theatre performer… if only there were any who would dare to admit it. The show will be bringing its unique blend of wit, whimsy and warmth to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Created by Alexander S. Bermange, and featuring a cast of West End regulars, I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical comedically covers the journey from wide-eyed drama school graduate right through to brattish diva, or past-it chorus member, or bitter has-been (or “never-was”).
This chronological caper through the highlights (and low points) of a musical theatre performer’s career unfolds by means of anecdotes, revelations and confessions – in song – that lift the lid on awful auditions, debilitating dance routines, mid-performance mishaps, and backstage backstabbing – alongside celebrations of those magical moments that make it all seem worthwhile.
Composer and lyricist Alexander S. Bermange’s previous credits encompass numerous musicals produced in London, around the UK and internationally, and many comic songs for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC Radio World Service. He says of his inspiration for I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical, “Off-stage interactions that I have observed between performers and audience members have shown me that ordinary people are often extremely curious about the day-to-day lives of professional performers. I thought it might be fun to create a show that offers a glimpse behind the curtain in a way that is funny, irreverent, but brutally truthful, for theatregoers and theatre folk alike.”
PERFORMANCES
Venue: Underbelly, Bristo Square (The Dairy Room) (Venue 302)
Tickets: Jul 31-Aug 2 £7.00; Aug 3-6, 9-11, 16-18, 23-25 £11.00 (£10.00); Aug 7-8, 12-15, 19-22, 26 £10.00 (£9.00)
Previews: Jul 31-Aug 2 Dates: Aug 3-26 Time: 20:45 (1h)
Box Office: 0131 510 0395
Review by Ellen Cree
Lucy, Lucy and Lucy Barfield is a well written one
woman show with moments of humour, sadness, joy and reflection about a young
woman, named Lucy Grace (believe it or not) who as child was, and still is,
obsessed with C.S. Lewis famous book Narnia book series, and in particular ‘The
Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.’ Upon reading the book constantly as a child
and becoming captivated with the BBC television adaptation, Lucy Grace believed
that Narnia quite possibly could truly exist, and due to her namesake Lucy
Pevensie playing such an important role, that she was destined to get to Narnia
one day. However, as Lucy Grace reached her 20s, she noticed, while about to
start rereading her favourite book (again), that in the dedication page at the
beginning of her treasured book, the name Lucy Barfield was printed. This sees
Lucy Grace’s quest into finding out information about ‘the real Lucy’ begin.
Lucy Grace’s search for enlightenment on the
ambiguous Lucy Barfield takes her to all corners of the internet as she
investigates online Narnia forums, back and forth letters to the Lewis family
and even managing to speak to an old friend of Lucy Barfield. Lucy Grace
manages to find out a lot about Barfield and the traumatic life she led due to
illness.
Lucy Barfield almost becomes like a symbol of hope
for Lucy Grace, and at times makes the performance becomes quite sad to watch,
although it definitely remains captivating. As a Narnia fan myself, the show
was extremely interesting and my attention was fully in the performance.
For
me, going into this very impressive and simplistic show with not much
information on what I was letting myself in for, I was left pleasantly
surprised and I could not stop thinking about what I had learned. It truly goes
to show how someone's story can change and impact lives.
Review by Ellen Cree
Katie Brennan’s Quarter-Life Crisis is a comedy
show that all the 20 something girls of Britain will find somewhat hilarious
and relatable. With songs by Katie herself and musical director and keyboard
accompanist Joseph Atkins, you will be in for a fun night with tunes inspired
by various pop hits from across the decades and musical numbers. Performed in a
sort of comedy cabaret hybrid style show in the Underbelly’s intimate venue,
Katie Brennan sings the story of her personal experiences. Such experiences
including her moving to a new city where the possibilities are endless,
however, she soon discovers that finding a job is proving a lot more difficult
than she initially thought. Brennan also sings about her inability to find a
decent man while she expresses her frustration at becoming a serial bridesmaid
to her friends who all seem to be maturing faster than herself and settling
down as she spends her evenings on the famous dating app Tinder.
While the majority of the show is light hearted,
upbeat and fun, there is a section of the show in which Katie talks and sings
about her struggles with depression, and how it has shaped her life and
impacted her performances. She sings about her demons which will leave the
audience in silence before her beautiful rendition of ‘Here Comes The Sun’ by
The Beatles, which, unless you have a heart of stone, will leave you with
mascara running down your cheeks.
A personal highlight of the show for myself was the
fun, original number ‘I’m Not Carrie Bradshaw’ which incorporates 20+ 90s music
references in a hilarious fashion. Before she even begins the song, Katie pulls
a Gin and Tonic from her bra which thus sets the tone for the night.
Katie Brennan’s Quarter-Life Crisis will have you
crying both happy and sad tears and will leave you feeling warm and that you
are not the only one panicking about how you have no idea what you are doing
with your life although you are in your 20s. Finally, the performance will put
you in great spirits for the night ahead.
Review by Ellen Cree
After seeing DugOut Theatre Company’s ‘The Sunset
Five’ at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, ‘Swansong’ was a must see for me and they certainly lived up to my expectations.
Swansong tells the hilarious story of four
individuals, all of whom have totally different personalities and totally
different outlooks on life, that are all stranded on a swan pedalo after the
Earth has been completely flooded and the entirety of the human race has been
wiped out apart from themselves. The silliness of the plot and the characters
is what makes this performance so special. All of the actors are extremely
talented and there are definitely no weak links in this performance.
The story of the remaining four humans begins
shortly before we learn that the last of the protein bars they have been living
on have run out. Although the characters all fall into four massive personality
stereotypes, something that might be branded cliche by some, are a perfect fit
for this off-the-wall show. The fact that they are so cliche kind of adds to
the comedy aspect perfectly. Firstly we have Adam the presumable (former)
businessman who is the clever and logical one. Secondly we have Claire, the
over exuberant, competitive gym nut who is keen to make the best of a bad
situation. Next you have the yoga loving, vegan Buddhist Bobby who spends her
time meditating in order to retain her sanity, and finally is the posh
university student Stephen (think Jack Whitehall’s character JP in E4’s Fresh
Meat) who just really misses meat, his friends and his dog.
We see the characters argue before killing and
devouring a swan they come across as they continuously paddle and drift around
on their pedalo. They also use Bobby’s diary to take turns to note down the
things that they miss about their old life and the bad things about the world
pre-flood, in the hope that future generations may find it one day.
While the show is about the end of the world, it is
also about hope, which is important as it leaves you rooting for the characters
and their survival so that they can continue to live and restart the human
race. The performance is complete is fantastic one liners and fun quirky
musical moments that will leave you in fits of laughter and wanting to come
back and see it again!
Review by Ellen Cree
Electric Eden by theatre troupe Not Too Tame is
quite different how you would stereotypically imagine theatre to be, however it
is important to remember that nothing can be deemed ‘normal’ during the Fringe.
This piece of ‘party theatre’ takes place in the famous Electric Circus music
venue, where its pub set up plays a significant role in the action. The
audience are made a part of the performance from the start. Upon arriving, each
of us that entered the bar were approached to have UV paint applied to our
faces, implying we’d be in for a energetic hour. While in the bar, before the
actual performance commenced, the actors, in character, mingled with the
audience, asking about their day and if they’d like a drink. The performance
itself mostly consisted of a rally in memory of the late Tommy Eden who
suffered from a fatal a heart attack while being moved away by security from a
posh new spa across the road from where he would spend his time busking. Eden
was a local hero and a beloved grandfather whose legacy sees the locals gather
to celebrate his life, protest against his death and to party hard to disrupt
the corporate bullies across the road in the spa.
Each character has a different outlook on the
protest, each believing that their protesting and raving is a great idea to
commemorate Tommy Eden, all apart from Tommy’s granddaughter who is conflicted,
pregnant and struggling financially. Tommy’s granddaughter is made a generous
offer by a representative of the spa who offers her large sum of money, but in
exchange, Tommy’s granddaughter must shut down the project and claim that the
volunteers have been exploiting and using her grandfather’s death for their own
personal gain.
While the story is both fun and upbeat, it is also
very gripping and allows for moments of thought and reflection. Each of the
cast also performs their own poetic monologues which give us a deeper insight
into their backgrounds and why protesting for Tommy is important to them.
The strange thing about Electric Eden is that it
takes place in the middle of the afternoon while it has vibe of an evening or
late night show. It was quite a shock to the system when I left the dark venue
and ventured back outside into broad daylight. I feel that it is also important
to mention that is show is definitely not for the more anxious of us as there
may be occasions you are asked up for a whirl around the dance floor!
Overall, Electric Eden is a fun show that will,
however, leave you feeling a little on edge...
