Review by Olivia Ruggiero
What a lovely way to start my Edinburgh Fringe experience at Greenside’s very welcoming and inviting venue. The Forest Theatre at Greenside @ Infirmary Street is a “cute” space and quite packed on this sunny Saturday afternoon which is delightful to see! The addition of 1930’s footlights at the front of the stage clearly sets the scene and time period of A Girl MissRed – a new musical penned by Mel Lawman.
This show is packed with potential – the songs are reminiscent of tunes you would hear in classic Broadway shows and iconic Disney films – with very hummable tunes by Matt Finch. The costuming is awesome and totally relevant to each scene – what I loved was the attention to detail – the little accessories, hats, the shoes, stockings and jewellery that really helped the audience to believe they were transported in time, back to 1930’s England. And there are some seriously quick costume changes that are pulled off swiftly and effectively. The costumes are all designed to match and create an atmosphere with each scene, and this extra thought really goes a long way to making the production seem more professional.
The white room dividers that run across the back of the stage provide the perfect “Fringe” set, a blank canvas, to transport the audience to the different places the show visits along the way.
Grace Bendle as Martha Timms has a stunning voice – she certainly holds up the adult cast of this show vocally and her stage presence is perfectly suited to the role. She exudes “Miss Honey” charm and simplicity.
The ensemble of children are very strong and collectively they wow. Frederick Spedo Mirandolo is charming as Arturo and acts the role fabulously. The ensemble numbers are certainly the highlight in this show – as the cast blend well together and the music weaves beautifully. Cruel Ache is a standout number delivered beautifully by the cast and Friend Ship is so clever and delivered brilliantly.
I would love to see the show with a live band and a full orchestra so the music can be heard as it was intended and with Broadway flare. Numbers like Charisma are so fantastically 1930’s – with a full big band playing live – it would bring the house down.
The choreography by Lizzie Rose is stellar and a highlight of the show. It’s simple and effective choreography, which is my favourite type! The cast is clearly a talented bunch of triple threats who get to show off the full potential of their dancing in a rousing tap number towards the end of the show.
This new musical is packed with potential – with some further character development and fleshing out of the storyline – this show could easily have a second and grander life than one on a Fringe stage. Whilst some of the music cues and transitions between scene/song could be a bit more fluid, this is something that would be fixed with a live musical director/conductor or orchestra behind the cast. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon at the theatre.
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