Saturday, December 6

Tag: Daniel Fischer

Merrily We Roll Along – EUSOG @ St Augustine
Scotland

Merrily We Roll Along – EUSOG @ St Augustine

At the beginning of 2024 I was as fortunate enough to be in New York to see the Broadway production of ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ which eventually won 4 Tony awards, including Best Revival of a Musical. Now Broadway comes to Edinburgh Festival Fringe with an excellent student rendition of this poignant commentary on the nature of friendship from EUSOG at Edinburgh University. On its initial run in 1981, ‘Merrily’ closed after just two weeks and was a commercial disaster for Sondheim and co-writer George Furth, critics at the time found the storyline confusing and the characters unsympathetic and audiences agreed. But, as with many Sondheim productions, a reassessment has happened in the intervening four decades and helped by significant changes in subsequent productions, modern audienc...
Spring Awakening – The Space @Surgeons’ Hall
Scotland

Spring Awakening – The Space @Surgeons’ Hall

Based on an 1891 German play by Frank Wedekind, “Spring Awakening” deals with themes of teenage sexuality, oppression and abuse. Despite its historical influences, the story feels relevant and timeless, and young company Selkie Theatre bring this production to the airy space of the Grand Theatre at Surgeon’s Hall. The musical uses a rock score to tell the story of Wendla Bergmann, played with delightful innocence by Shannon Hood. She longs to find out about the facts of life, but her mother is unwilling to talk of anything other than love and marriage. Wendla soon falls in love with Melchior Gabor, a rebellious boy who is keen to share the information that he’s learned from books. Joe Gill shows Melchior’s frustration and determination, but also lends him an endearing teenage awkwar...