Edinburgh Festival Fringe musicals and opera reviews: Blossoming (You Undo Me) | Wendy, My Darling | Four Felons and a Funeral | Living with Skeletons

Our latest round-up of Fringe reviews includes a pair of upbeat queer musicals.

Blossoming (You Undo Me) ***

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Venue 24) Until 13 August

The makers of Blossoming (You Undo Me) are smart to suggest their show as the first Asian queer musical on the Fringe. This is its sole USP; in every other way, it is a traditional musical theatre transformation story. Our timid caterpillar emerging as fabulous butterfly is Tao, the forbidden second child of a Chinese family, who escapes to the freedom of London and falls in love with the first man he sees.

There are two performances daily, each with a different Tao. In the performance I saw, Apollo Ziegfield is sympathetic enough to convince you that this could be his personal story as he dips his toes in the London gay club scene – he is in Heaven – and scratches his drag queen itch with a side order of Chinese opera.

The handful of songs areclichéd western “woke up this morning” musical theatre blues and, once again, the stage set is strewn with suitcase props – cos he’s on a journey, right? But then this sweet little show will surprise you by pulling a fabulous puppet out the bag, which really is worth seeing.

Fiona Shepherd

Wendy, My Darling **

Blossoming (You Undo Me)

theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53) until 12 August

Although listed under Musicals and Opera, it would be fair to call Wendy, My Darling a play with a song and some gentle background musical accompaniment from singer/guitarist Tammy Glover.

April Wish plays aspiring Hollywood scriptwriter and accidental TikTok sensation Wendy, stressing over her daughter Jane and the parlous state of TV commissioning. Her agent, played virtually by Pretty In Pink’s Jon Cryer, is a commercial realist, while Freaks and Geeks’ Busy Philipps’ beams in an effervescent turn as a supportive friend but this modern day Peter Pan post-script plays out as less than the sum of its several parts.

Fiona Shepherd

Four Felons and a Funeral ***

Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) until 27 August

Four unlikely friends – actually a ragtag mix of lovers, ex-lovers, siblings and barely tolerated acquaintances – have just stolen the ashes of recently deceased Charlie and are heading to Ireland to scatter them – with Charlie’s kimono-garbed dad in hot pursuit.

In truth, Four Felons and a Funeral’s road-trip plotline isn’t much more than an excuse for bickering and confessions (often amusing, sometimes more barbed) from the four-strong cast. And it’s a brave musical – certainly one with such apparently feed-good intentions – that dispenses with conventional happy-ever-after, threads-tied-up resolution in favour of something more provisional, more awkward.

There’s an unsettling finger-pointing sense of judgement and barely suppressed anger at older people’s inability to deal with issues of gender and sexuality that somewhat undermines the show’s joyful, optimistic tone: it’s clear who queer music theatre company Goya feel their target audience are, and aren’t.

But that said, there’s a lot to enjoy in the crisp, energetic performances (Jordan Broatch’s gloriously over-the-top Wilf stands out), the vivid characterisation, and the pithy humour (Maddy Maguire’s deadpan Bex has some memorable one-liners).

Musical director Màth Roberts supplies strong, driven songs (with plenty of nods to Sondheim) and muscular piano accompaniment throughout, and direction from co-writer Sam Woof ensures the pace seldom flags – save, perhaps, for Wilf’s touching tribute to motorway service stations, one of the show’s highlights.

David Kettle

Living with Skeletons **

Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose (Venue 24) until 13 August

An alternative Alice in Wonderland set in the afterlife, this is an ambitious, new musical where an angst-ridden boy searches for his deceased sister, while struggling with his academic writing classes, accompanied by a stressed-looking band, a gaggle of bleached white ghosts and some cackling, incoherent witches.

The energy and commitment of the young cast is high, but unfortunately the singing is sometimes out of tune and the sound needs balancing. While it’s an imaginative piece, it’s one that risks losing its audience down the rabbit hole. Some more rehearsals between the cast, the band and the tech team might help sharpen it up.

Sally Stott