6 A New Musical is
the perfect fringe musical – handy when the company are soon to be performing
at the Edinburgh Fringe. This is a song
cycle following the lives of six people living in New York. The intimate venue of the London Theatre
Workshop (for this preview performance) resembles that of a New York apartment;
the clever use of a ladder and suitcases for minimal staging is well
choreographed; the focus on twenty-something characters is well suited to the
festival’s main demographic (hence the company name); and although it’s
concise, it still packs an emotional punch.
Though set in New York, the stories apply to any city. There’s a young businessman climbing up the
corporate ladder; a medical student having an affair with her professor; a
single mum unable to pay rent; and a priest losing faith after the death of a
loved one, to name four. Each character
is struggling to find meaning in their lives, struggling to find their place in
the vast isolating metropolis – a theme that’s easily relatable. The result is a series of human stories full of
both laughter and tears.
The score, from Zack Zadek (who also wrote the book and
lyrics), combines pop with contemporary musical theatre – imagine hearing a
Jason Robert Brown song on the radio and you’re part way there. The songs work individually as standalone
numbers, but eventually they come together in a hook-laden finale. The cast offer some wonderful singing, in
particular the smooth effortless tone of Steffan Lloyd-Evans, the confident Ben
Vivian-Jones and the tender voice of Chloe Nicolson.
If there’s one criticism it’s that the stories are too
fragmented – many individual strands aren’t given a satisfying conclusion and
the characters’ paths don’t cross as often as you’d like. Further, this means that musically the score
relies too much on solo ballads. Not
only would some more upbeat numbers provide balance, but more chorus
numbers would allow the singers and the audience to revel in beautiful
harmonies that are too rarely on display here.
That said, 6 provides
a contrast to the huge amount of comedy at the festival. It’s honesty is commendable, whilst its
beautiful melodies and emotional performances make it easy to love. If you’re heading up to Edinburgh this summer,
this is not to be missed.
4/5
Watch: 6 A New Musical
runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in theSpace throughout August.
