The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland has experienced a name change as of September 2011, as this year’s MA musical theatre graduates premiered a new musical entitled Show Choir! The Musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Choosing a medley from this new creation as part of the afternoon showed off each student in a unique and time-friendly way. The company numbers are generally well chosen, including a fun 9 to 5, a dramatic Wasted Love and a musically ambitious closing medley from Sunday in the Park with George.
John McLarnon demonstrates a strong falsetto in Guettel’s dramatic Awaiting You from Myths and Hymns, later returning with a suitably contrasting comedy duologue from Hoors. Coming across with bags of personality, this cheeky native Scottish lad delivers aptly. Victoria Fuller has a lovely ingenue face and a strong presence in her solo Better from Little Women, also mastering a difficult dramatic scene from The Crackwalker. Her scene partner native American Sarah Gibbons is a great contrast and one of the strongest actresses of this graduating year.
Robert Dalton is the male stand out of the afternoon with a very castable demeanour, handsome looks and good projection. Dalton has a knack to suit a large variety of material, contrasting quite effortlessly in everything from George in Sondheim’s Sunday piece, to his solo Who I’d be from Shrek, and a scene from Campus. Hitting top notes with effortless ease, strength and great poise in Like Love from Charlie Girl, Zoe Vaughan stands out as the strongest female singer of the afternoon, also showing some noticeable acting skills in her scene from Dog sees God. Altogether, quite a force to be reckoned with.
Bracken Burns is quite a good little comedienne in her scene from Beauty and a watchable presence in her song Waiting for Life, while Ruthie Luff puts her own, rather contemporary alto version on sixties rock number Aquarius from Hair. Good movement from Brian MacDougall in I Met a Girl from Bells Are Ringing, while Laura Hempel gives the title song from Legally Blonde a ball breaker touch. Devin Herbert bears an uncanny resemblance to Julian Clary in a scene from Osama the Hero, shows good range in his song Larger than life and successfully scene steals to his heart’s content in Show Choir! The Musical.
Showing strong musicianship, Andrew Sutherland works his way well through Jason Robert Brown’s tricky King of the World, while Kathryn Aiken is cute and perky, yet wisely stays away from emulating Kristin Chenoweth in My New Philosophy. Celine Rosa Tan ends the showcase on a high note with a hilarious scene from Ally Mcbeal, possessing a true natural talent for sitcom-style timing and all-embodied physical comedy.
Some notable talent stands out, yet varied delivery with lack of diction and questionable singing ranges, as well as a surprising lack of dance, make this musical theatre showcase a rather average affair.
Expert choices: Robert Dalton and Zoe Vaughan
Expert: Agent Amy O’Neill from IT&M Management
Criterion, London, September 15
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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