If you are a musical fan Muse is unmissable this Fringe. An impressively polished show, it offers a great introduction to Shakespeare and his work, providing many easter eggs for fans of the playwright.
The show originated as a piece by students for a class in Interlochen School of performing arts Michigan and has evolved into full scale production, complete with original songs and choreography. Featuring all new music by 19-year-old student Hanna Andréa.
The show’s premise centres on Shakespeare trying to decide which of his famous plays to publish as he must choose only one. Iconic characters like the Macbeths, Juliet, King Lear among others feature as they battle it out through song to be chosen.
The dialogue offered an impressive use of Shakespearian verse with modern jokes worked in that made the plot easy to follow while staying true to the source. At times the narrative felt slightly jumpy, but this is likely due to the 1 hour constraints of most fringe shows. However, the soundtrack was stellar with complex harmonies, clever integration of Shakespearian references, further complemented by the outstanding female vocalists in the cast. Each character had their moment, with my favourites being a fun rock ballad from Queen Macbeth and an emotional and gripping solo from Juliet.
The show touched on interesting themes exploring Shakespeare’s artistic torment and offered us insights into the minds of some of his characters. Watching them come to terms with their fates in a way never seen before. I was apprehensive about the need for 10 actors on stage, but they each stood on their ground, interacting with one another and using the space effectively to offer an all-round engaging show.
I had the opportunity to speak with the composer of the show’s music, Andréa, who offered insight into the motivations of the production and her artistic process. Anyone familiar with the Fringe knows that iterations of Shakepeare are a prominent feature each year. Andréa recognised the value of studying his work in her formal musical theatre training and was proud that this show has evolved into something so big.
Asking her how important it was to bring the show to Edinburgh she stated “Fringe is a place where so many artists watch art” offering a unique opportunity to get feedback from so many others in the industry. Her advice for other young artists is to “make your own opportunities and not wait around, the scale of a project doesn’t matter when you commit time and confidence.” With this production she truly lives by this sentiment. In terms of what’s next, Andrea stated she appreciates how writing for musical theatre means that the music can develop and grow with the show, offering a more dynamic song writing experience compared to writing an independent album.
Director Mindy Cooper, who specialises in new musicals, said when this fell across her desk she knew it was something special and that only musicals offering something fresh succeed in the modern market.
With potential to be the next SIX, Muse offers fun for everyone. I highly recommend you take your opportunity to be one of the first to see this show before it almost certainly becomes a full-length theatrical production.
Muse is running until 30 August at Underbelly Cowbarn.
Buy tickets here.
Images Via Underbelly Cowbarn
