Edinburgh Fringe musicals and opera reviews: Absurd Hero | Wilde | Level Up! | Webber! + more

Greenside @ Riddles Court (Venue 16) until 9 August

With the way things are Stateside, a musical about community, determination, resilience and love seems like a poignantly fitting response to more brutal measures currently being enacted by government.

And you’ve got to hand it to Denver-based April Alsup Productions, who fill Greenside’s tiny stage with what feels like a whole town of singing, dancing actors (12 of them, in fact, plus a two-strong live music section) for Alsup’s strong, catchy and uplifting tunes.

In many ways, Absurd Hero feels like a cry of protest and defiance, a reminder of the good things about human nature. Sid is a charming, charismatic small-town politician, with alleviating homelessness among his aims – to achieve that, however, he’ll have to convince and win over the Gods who hold sway over the town’s fortunes.

If a social democrat battling bureaucracy and corruption doesn’t sound like the stuff of musicals – well, Alsup focuses squarely on her richly drawn characters, their motivations and hopes, so that Absurd Hero always feels real and relevant.

In truth, the criminal underworld of her scheming Gods isn’t too convincing, but they serve their purpose as a setting for her modern-day myth of Sisyphus (and full marks for weaving Albert Camus into a modern-day musical).

If politics isn’t your thing, however, just sit back and admire Heather Westenskow’s elaborate dance routines, or the gorgeously rich harmonies that Alsup’s ensemble produces in their vivid performances.

Gunnar Bettis is wide-eyed and fine-voiced as a likeable Sid, while Antigone Biddle soars in her songs as love interest Dawn. Among the baddies, Cooper Kaminsky is a snarling Zeus, with Patrick Brownson lumbering around comically as his henchman Tony.

Following last year’s equally strong BANNED from the same group, Absurd Hero is a complex, richly imagined show whose energy and conviction blaze off the stage – and one that dares to stand up for human warmth and compassion.

David Kettle

Wilde ★★★

theSpace @ Niddry Street (Venue 9) until 9 August

No, not another poignant tearjerker about the wronged genius of the great Irish wit. The Wilde in Embley School’s original musical is Constance, Oscar’s long-suffering wife, married out of convenience and quickly sidelined - as were his two children - when the writer’s better-known passions took centre stage in his life.

And Wilde is an assured creation that never shies away from the specifics of Oscar’s misdemeanours (though they’re handled sensitively), while ensuring the focus remains squarely on Constance, her loneliness, the gleeful society gossip around her and her steadfast focus on the family’s home life, even as it zips nimbly through the couple’s tragic tale.

Be warned: happy endings are in short supply here.

Songs are effective and confidently delivered, and the intricate choreography adds depth to whirling social gatherings and the children’s inner worlds. Performances from the young (in one case, very young) nine-strong cast are uniformly strong, and the two leads have slightly shy charisma, even if the songs don’t feel especially well pitched in their respective vocal ranges.

In fact, the show might benefit from stronger projection all round, or even a bit of judicious miking to ensure the singers’ words are always clear. But Wilde is an impressive achievement, with a welcome focus on an overlooked perspective.

David Kettle

Level Up! ★★★

Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) until 25 August

Does everyday life feel like it’s getting increasingly… gamified? Then you might sympathise with obsessive online gamers Jo, Raff and Bobby in Lucy Watson and Julian Kirk’s ambitious musical Level Up!, who find their games have been watching their every move, then seeping into the real-world lives – and even coming up with goals for them to achieve.

Jo must make millions in dodgy cryptocurrency; Raff gets to solve the climate crisis; and Bobby – well, Bobby just gets to explore.

It's a neat conceit, with unsettling resonances in a world of self-entrepreneurship and neverending self-betterment. And writer Watson has a lot of fun deflating both tech bros’ crypto nonsense and the hypocrisies of climate non-action.

It’s a slickly presented show, with eloquent choreography from Meadhbh Lyons and universally strong singing from the six-strong cast, who all get a chance to shine in composer Kirk’s memorably eclectic numbers, which take in country, blues, rap and more. An impressive video wall charts the trio’s online adventures.

If anything, though, Level Up! is probably too ambitious in its themes, so that only the crypto strand gets the attention its deserves – at 90 minutes, it might have skewered its victims more effectively, as well as filling out its lead characters more fully.

David Kettle

Webber! ★★★

theSpaceTriplex (Venue 38) until 9 August

It’s probably fair to say that writer, composer and singer Grant Sharkey doesn’t hold peer of the realm, impresario and creator of many of the 20th and 21st century’s most iconic musicals Andrew Lloyd Webber in the highest regard.

In Sharkey’s gleefully filthy two-hand musical – really more of a grotesque cabaret – Lloyd Webber is a Machiavellian manipulator (well, he would be if he had the intelligence) who strikes a Faustian pact with the devil him-/herself – in the form of one Margaret Thatcher, harridan spirit of greed and destruction – to achieve the fame and eyewatering fortunes that he craves.

Is it fair, accurate, or even called for? When Sharkey’s vitriolic fury finds an outlet in such a wild, exaggerated and shockingly funny creation, who cares? His songs are barbed and clever, and he delivers them with a fine voice and a sense of throwaway self-awareness that never takes itself too seriously, despite his satirical intents.

Laura Clare Reid is a commanding, strutting Thatcher, spitting insatiable avarice and unstoppable expletives.

Will you learn anything new about the ambitions and machinations of one of Britain’s towering cultural figures? Maybe one or two things. Will you leave somewhat dumfounded, rather appalled but thoroughly entertained? Almost certainly.

David Kettle

Moving On: A New Musical ★★★

Braw Venues @ Hill Street (Venue 9) until 14 August

There’s a pleasing naive energy to this original ghostly musical from Edinburgh collective, Happy Sad Productions. Three siblings are contracted to clear out a house who's past owner has “moved on” (i.e. died) only to discover that other late occupants are still haunting the place.

The three siblings all want to “move on” — both in their careers and lives — which gives this a nice thematic consistency and, of course, an opportunity for a song or two. The ghosts may have cold hands but all the characters are invariably warm-hearted which gives this a nice glow of genuine sentimentality.

The likeable cast are in their best voice in unison in the larger numbers and the book and lyrics by Amber Docherty and Roza Stevenson is admirably concise and to the point. Josh Wood’s music is nicely pitched; no song outstays its welcome — although that does make for a lack of catchy choruses.

It’s still a little rough around the edges although the choreography is strong — a farcical spooky Scooby-Doo style ghost chase montage actually works surprisingly well. However, it’s the goofy innocence and touches of genuine emotion that distinguish this.

Rory Ford

Dunhuang ★★

theSpace @ Symposium Hall (Venue 43) until 14 August

Near the Chinese city of Dunhuang, a network of several hundred caves hold Buddhist art spanning a thousand years. A-Lai, a student sent to work on the murals, encounters Liansheng, one of the original painters in this time-slip song cycle by composer Jingyu Chen, staged by students from Cambridge.

The two women become fast friends, but the price attached to their encounter could be higher than they know. While there are some tender moments, the script is uneven and the slow-moving story sometimes hard to follow.

Susan Mansfield

Make sure you keep up to date with Arts and Culture news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here.