From the company that brought us Potty The Plant, comes Fringe! The Musical, a self-aware parody of the Edinburgh Fringe from the perspective of the hopeful artists that flood into the city every August.
As far as parodies and satire go, this musical hits the mark
Fringe! The Musical follows three different acts as they navigate the highs lows of Fringe and a chorus of inside jokes and stock characters that we can tick off like a bingo card; silent disco participants, the price of accommodation, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and an ensemble of impishly gleeful reviewers. For veterans of the Fringe, it is a semi-cathartic release where we’re in on the joke and laughing at ourselves, for newcomers it’s a guideline on what to expect.
As far as parodies and satire go, this musical hits the mark. Every joke is recognisable as a reference or part of reality, each song doesn't waste any space of getting to the heart of the comedy and absurdity, and the execution is flawless; the cast are phenomenal performers who understand comedy and how to play to an audience. There's a nudge and wink in every moment.
However, the plot is noticeably weaker than the musical numbers, which are big moments that are lifted outside of the action. It’s the classic beginning and end problem; too much time is spent on the opening gimmick that it doesn't leave enough time to then wrap up the musical in any real way. It abruptly changes direction from criticising the romanticised view that everyone has of the fairytale success stories that we all share and tell, to becoming a romanticised fairytale itself, which defeats the purpose the whole idea of the parody.
Fringe! The Musical is hilarious, it genuinely is. The songs are just brilliant that it’s worth going to just listen to them. There’s such an accuracy to every joke, where we just end up laughing out of a general sense of recognition of this universally specific experience of being in this city for 3 weeks every year.
