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Show: Sidekick
Society: Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Venue: Venue 236. Greenside @ Infirmary Street Forest Theatre
Credits: A New Musical
Type: Sardines
Author: Chris Abbott
Performance Date: 15/08/2019
Sidekick
Chris Abbott | 16 Aug 2019 09:48am
It is always good to see new writing at Edinburgh and especially so in the case of musical theatre; and Sidekick is a show with considerable promise. The show tells the story of a school for super-heroes and focuses on the growing relationship between two students and the resolution of a vendetta.
The show was written by Alex Wilcox and Aron Sood, and produced by Jacob Standbridge. The five-piece band under MD Stuart Emmerson and the five actors in Sidekick show there is potential in this piece which can really only be revealed when it can be given a more expansive production. If ever a show called for flying cast members and special effects it is this one, and it could work very well in a mid-scale theatre with the necessary resources.
The band are particularly impressive and the music and lyrics are mostly effective, avoiding the clunky rhymes and musical repetitions too often found in new musicals. The strongest performers among the cast are Lenny Turner and Millie Harris playing central couple, Tom and Lily, both with strong singing voices and easily able to handle the demands of the script. Some of the supporting cast are less effective, with one barely audible even in a small space.
It is disappointing that the cast failed to get much response from the sparse audience as the writing deserves better and is often witty and effective. I particularly enjoyed writer Alex Wilcox as the invisible Marco although it would have been good to see more effort from the cast to indicate his presence.
I am sure this is not the last we will see of Sidekick; it has considerable possibilities and I look forward to seeing it in a larger theatre with the special effects that will bring it to life.
- : admin
- : 15/08/2019