The West End and UK Touring production of ‘Bugsy Malone’ has arrived in Edinburgh. This farcical tale follows rivals Fat Sam and Dandy Dan as they attempt to do one another out of business, this production features splurge guns and custard pies galore. Playing at the Edinburgh Playhouse till Sunday 20th November.
‘Bugsy Malone’ is known for it’s infamous children’s cast which supplies most of the hilarity, this production is no different. Amar Blackman, gives us suave charm as the infamous Bugsy. Avive Savannah Williams delivers stunning vocals and curiousity as Blousy. Charlie Burns is a force to be reckoned with as Fat Sam, Charlie’s humour and bombastic personality really shines through. Taziva-Faye Katsande is phenomenal as Tallulah, her diva-esque nature, sublime vocals and seamless dance skills make this a superb performance to behold. Ellis Sutherland is brilliant as Fizzy, the energy this young performer provides trumps some of the adults on stage. Ava Hope Smith is hysterical as Lena/Babyface, for such a little lady, she really does the sass of a fifty-year-old west end diva. Rayhaan Kufuor-Gray is adorable as Dandy Dan, a tough and apt adversary for Charlie’s Fat Sam.
Helping support the madness on stage, there is also a great adult cast featured in this production, who supply just as much energy, superbly tackling tricky choreo, belting out iconic hits and becoming imfamous “bad guys”. The adult cast are as follows; Alica Ally, Mohamed Bangura, Alicia Belgarde, Esme Bacalla-Hayes, Marcus Billanym Kalifa Burton, Alisha Capon, Jessica Daugirda, Ru Fisher, Rory Fraser, Will Lucas, Andilé Mabhena, Luke Mills, Luchia Moss, Georgia Pemberton, D’Mia Lindsey-Walker, Thomas Walton & Lucy Young.
Sir Alan Parker’s book for this musical brings the 1920s prohibition era to life in a comedic way, bursting with colourful and hilarious characters. Paul Williams’ music and lyrics are iconic, ‘Fat Sam’s Grand Slam’ and ‘Bad Guys’ are historic musical numbers, and the rest of the hits in this musical are the same standard, music we can’t help but love. Connah Tonkinson’s musical direction makes these hit sound fantastic. The band sound amazing, lifting each number to a grand standard. Drew McOnie’s Choreography helps lift each number by bringing in quick, intricate and gob smacking movement sequences.
Sean Holmes’ direction of this production is clear in terms of the vision he aimed for, however the acting in this production is very shallow. The big bombastic characters seem to have only had their surfaces explored and you really question what direction has been given to the children’s cast. At points you see the kids actually confused at what they’re doing, which means they’ve either been under rehearsed or the direction they have received has been minimal, all the young people on that stage are very talented so they’re capable of more than what they’ve been given. With this the vocal coach needs to work harder with the younger members of the cast, the diction on stage was poor, and this was only delivering dialogue, within songs it was mostly clear. It improved in Act Two but most of the dialogue in Act One was completely lost. The pacing of scenes which should hold some form of prominence are blasted through with barely any time for basic characterization to shine through, and lines which hold any form of nuance are delivered with no emotion or on one note. The direction and acting in this production are the biggest downfall. ‘Bugsy Malone’ has such brilliant source material in it’s book that there isn’t any excuse for the failure in this element of the production.
Jon Bausor’s set and costume design is utterly stunning, it is versatile in colour, grandeur and also grit. Philip Gladwell’s lighting design is perfectly nostalgic to 1920s theatre which along with Bausor’s set and costume, takes the audience back to the prohibition era to mix with the infamous gangsters featured in this production. Also the lighting in the car chase scene is so effective, the pulse of the stobe lighting keeps the energy flowing, helping literally drive the tension in this thrilling sequence. Ben Harrison’s sound blasts the hits into the Playhouse perfectly, the mic levels at points are questionable but they are mostly amended throughout the performance.
‘Bugsy Malone’ is a hugely popular production that many hold close to their hearts. While this production smashes expectations with the visual and musical elements, the acting and direction leaves much to be desired.
Get tickets for ‘Bugsy Malone’ here:
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/bugsy-malone/edinburgh-playhouse/
Theatre Scotland 
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