Metro, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, August 2014
OMG M8, MSG ME… online social networking may have brought the global community together at the swipe of a touch screen but it has killed the art of fulsome, erudite conversation.
Thoughts are condensed to 140 characters, feelings crudely replicated as emoticons and vicious rumours circulated as unequivocal fact behind the mask of an online avatar.
Connected The Musical delves into the murky world of cyber bullying through the eyes of teenager Emma (Rose Shalloo), who arrives at her new school and quickly falls foul of queen bee Kate (Stephanie Hockley) simply because she shares a conversation with Kate’s old flame Michael (Joe Ashman).
‘There are rules and she needs to learn them,’ snarls Kate, sowing the seeds of a sickening smear campaign that ensnares socially awkward loner Dylan (Richard Lowe). IMHOHO, Connected is a sensitively handled coming-of-modern-age story in stark contrast to playwright Craig Christie’s last Fringe hit, the feel-great musical satire Eurobeat, which poked merciless fun at a certain annual song contest and allowed the audience to vote for their favourite entry amidst a sea of faux-patriotic flag-waving. Some of his pop-rock compositions here are equally catchy and lyrically snappy, albeit with a strong undercurrent of angst, complemented by GR8 performances, particularly Lowe, who takes the roof off with one heart-rending solo. His duet with Shalloo, which sees Dylan and Emma nervously attempt to make a leap of faith and declare their true feelings then falter at the last moment is sweet, touching and painfully real.
I was ALOL. TTFN.
Damon Smith. Until Aug 25, Pleasance Courtyard (V33), www.pleasance.co.uk
Thoughts are condensed to 140 characters, feelings crudely replicated as emoticons and vicious rumours circulated as unequivocal fact behind the mask of an online avatar.
Connected The Musical delves into the murky world of cyber bullying through the eyes of teenager Emma (Rose Shalloo), who arrives at her new school and quickly falls foul of queen bee Kate (Stephanie Hockley) simply because she shares a conversation with Kate’s old flame Michael (Joe Ashman).
‘There are rules and she needs to learn them,’ snarls Kate, sowing the seeds of a sickening smear campaign that ensnares socially awkward loner Dylan (Richard Lowe). IMHOHO, Connected is a sensitively handled coming-of-modern-age story in stark contrast to playwright Craig Christie’s last Fringe hit, the feel-great musical satire Eurobeat, which poked merciless fun at a certain annual song contest and allowed the audience to vote for their favourite entry amidst a sea of faux-patriotic flag-waving. Some of his pop-rock compositions here are equally catchy and lyrically snappy, albeit with a strong undercurrent of angst, complemented by GR8 performances, particularly Lowe, who takes the roof off with one heart-rending solo. His duet with Shalloo, which sees Dylan and Emma nervously attempt to make a leap of faith and declare their true feelings then falter at the last moment is sweet, touching and painfully real.
I was ALOL. TTFN.
Damon Smith. Until Aug 25, Pleasance Courtyard (V33), www.pleasance.co.uk