Styling itself as a 'heartfelt and hilarious musical tribute' to the city of Brighton, All Things Brighton Beautiful utterly triumphs as a celebration of everything we love about living in this seaside city.
A joyous and boisterous romp
With a mixture of tributes, originals and poetry, Hannah Brackenbury details how and why she moved to Brighton from Derby almost 10 years ago. The spoken word sections weave a narrative throughout the performance which elevates it from a mishmash of assorted funny songs, to a story of living in the city.
When it comes to reviewing music (particularly comedy music) there are only really two questions that are important: is it funny, and is the music good? The answer is an emphatic yes on both points. The crowd was roaring with laughter, cheering along and almost blew the roof off trying to get an encore from Brackenbury.
The parodies of big hits from the likes of Billy Joel, The Dandy Warhols and Joni Mitchell become earworms that delete the original lyrics from your head. The originals let Brackenbury flex her song writing chops and are as enjoyable as the parodies. Brackenbury is clearly a talented songwriter and musician and has a few great tricks up her sleeve beyond the music that I won't spoil here.
The songs hit all the Brighton classics: hating the i360, killer seagulls, Pride, and longing for the total annihilation of Southern Rail. As someone who has adopted Brighton after leaving a small town in the Midlands myself, having an entire comedy show dedicated to where you live was something quite special and All Things Brighton Beautiful is a deserving champion of Brighton Fringe.
This is a joyous and boisterous romp about all the things that make Brighton a weird and wonderful place to be. I would recommend it to anyone who has a special place in their heart for this rebel city.
