It’s not everyday that you are the jury for a nursery rhyme trial, but this was exactly what happened in The Uncrackable Case. Watched over by the fairy court-mother, the audience are invited into the royal courtroom to observe the trial of Jill, accused of pushing humpty-dumpty off the wall. Full to the brim with singing, dancing, and fairy-tale puns, this show was great fun for all the family.
The setting of the courtroom gave the performance a predictable but easy to follow structure, leaving no need for any “wolf-splaining” of court proceedings. Positioning the audience as the jury worked well in creating an engrossing atmosphere but admittedly this left me expecting slightly more audience interactivity, especially towards the end when it came time for the jury’s verdict.
As a four woman show with over ten characters, there were obviously some costume changes. These were extremely swift and well planned, and the actors did a great job in differentiating distinct personalities between the whole host of fairy-tale characters. While all four actors were brilliant, it is undeniable that Purvi Parmar stole the show. With her outstanding vocals as Jack and the King, and her comical portrayal of the tortoise, she was utterly hilarious.
The incorporation of the screen displaying character names and subtitles over the stage was clever and much needed to keep track of who was who. It was also a great and inobtrusive way to make the show accessible to a wider audience, in a way that ultimately added to the performance.
There was humour for all ages in this show – including an amount of millennial cringe which, while not to my taste, certainly had the 80s and 90s babies chuckling. However the bit that really got me was the “old woman who lives in a shoe’s” conspiracy theory number, complete with tin-foil hats – a truly hilarious meshing of nursery rhyme and contemporary online culture.
Evidently, there is something for everyone in this show. A brilliant bit of light-hearted Fringe fun, The Uncrackable Case is worth a watch if you enjoy comedic musicals – and its one you can bring the whole family to.
The Uncrackable Case is running until 25 August (excluding 11th) at Pleasance Two at Pleasance Courtyard.
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of David Lindsay, provided to The Student as press material.