Mmmmmm
Tra-la-la-la-la
Aaa, Eee, Iii, Ooo, Uuu

Sorry, vocal warms ups are an essential part of my routine, yet I’ve never understood how they actually help my blogging – anyway…

I would suggest that there are three key sections to a musical, with a few sub sections. You can see the breakdown below and I have scored each. It’s all very scientific…

Singing

The whole cast were West End ready, their voices professional, animated and powerful. Alexandra Parkes had a beautiful tone, her voice was trained enough to blend in but quirky enough to stand out.

23/25

Dancing

The cast had quite a glamorous finale full of jazz, tap and from what I can remember bowler hats. It was my favourite moment of the show and looked the most professional. The cast had great energy and top talent to give it real ‘pizzazz’. I’d have given this full marks if only there was more of it!

20/25

Music & Lyrics

Honestly, it wasn’t bad. Not great but still enjoyable. There was a nice mixture of sad, silly and soppy with some catchy lyrics too. One stand out song and performance came thanks to Cameron Sharp, who dreams of playing famous parts on stage, with musical nods to some very recognisable songs. It’s a shame the music was terribly loud and often drowned out the actors…

12/25

Acting

Unfortunately it was average. No stand outs here. Well, there was one but for all the wrong reasons. The sleazy front of house manager, Robin, was just OTT. He really played on the whole villain thing but at times it was unbearable.

5/15

Story

A predictable and light-hearted look into the world of Ushers who are working the launch of ‘Oops I did it again’. If you’re a theatre goer, you will geek out at the many inside topical jokes. I did.

3/5

Venue

A beautiful church that is the pinnacle of the street on your approach. It has a real presence and makes for an alternative venue. I don’t know who decides the location of each show but this production lucked out! Yes, I know the acoustics were poor at times but I just loved the aesthetics.

5/5

68/100

It’s no Wicked or Legally Blonde but it is a nice attempt at a contemporary musical. It’s upbeat, fun and funny and certainly one of the better productions at the Fringe this year.

9-30 August, Momentum Venues @ St Stephens (venue 166) 21.30
Either sit on the front row or on the raised platforms for the best view!

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/ushers-the-front-of-house-musical