Everyone loves a jukebox musical right? How about a musical that centers around a girl’s holiday? Well, we think we found the perfect tonic to brighten up your Fringe.
ERA Productions’ ‘One Week In Magaluf’ is currently enjoying it’s triumphant return to the Fringe with sellout audiences lapping up this fun, camp and hilarious romp. Based in 2007, surrounding friends Amy, Megan, Nicole & Olivia, who are heading out on their first girls holiday to Magaluf.
This is very much an ensemble piece, where each performer compliments one another. The characters featured in this production each have their own issues and tribulations going on, where both the performers portrayal and the writing in this musical does well to give each of the girls their moment of impact with the audience.
Abi Price’s Amy delivers many laughs for her unfiltered and rather corse nature, Abi’s energy on stage is fantastic and she laps up the chaotic energy the text suggests, delivering a truly hilarious portrayal. Mia Taylor’s Megan is a people pleaser, who desires more in life, Mia’s positivity and quirky demeanor as Megan instantly hooks the audience in. Catherine Hutchinson’s Nicole is the most level-headed of the group, you see the maternal figure very clearly imbedded in her character from the offset. Nicole has the toughest trials and tribulations of the group and Catherine portrays this journey with such nuance while managing to elevate some of the scenarios enough to hit the comic notes of the book. Molly King’s Olivia radiates Capricorn energy as she navigates her way through a fairly messy week with her besties. Molly’s rather chaotic and self-destructive portrayal of Olivia brilliantly throws a catalyst into the normal antics you would find on a girls week away, yet there is a kindness there which the audience recognises even through the toughest of times.
Amy Nic writes, directs and also features in this jukebox musical. Amy’s comedic talent is clear in her portrayal as the various supporting characters. Whether it’s a flirty waiter, an air hostess or a barmaid, her versatility is clear and she knows how to wring the comedy from each scene. In terms of writing, this musical’s book holds a very realistic story of friendship, with a doze of chaos and comical circumstance, to help add in some flare. But most of all, this musical holds a lot of heart, and that’s easy to identify in the production it’s self, plus in how passionate this full team are about their Fringe show. When it comes to direction, even with minimum space and sightline issues for the audience, Amy utilises every inch of space shes got, immersing the audience in the antics of the girls in Magaluf, with help from Sophie Corker supplying some choreo to energize musical numbers. This is the most ambitious production I’ve seen at Theatre 1 in Surgeons Hall.
Erin Munro’s musical direction for ‘One Week In Magaluf’ brings us the noughties musical that millennials have been longing for. What is nice is that acting is not sidelined just for cracking vocals, both work simultaneously, whether it’s belting out Busted, Natasha Bedingfield, Counting Crows or P!nk, the tone in each number compliments the unfolding scene. It’s also not too packed, there’s a good balance of numbers to help the flow of the narrative rather than the narrative surrounding the music choice. The only thing which would make this better is perhaps some microphones for the performers so they could be heard a little clearer, however even without, their projection was perfect.
‘One Week In Magaluf’ is a production which can be compared to many different entities, such as ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘The Inbetweeners’ and even ‘Friends’, yet it holds it’s own, with it’s fun, hilarious, colourful and heartwarming story of friendship.
Get your tickets for ‘One Week In Magaluf’ here (on till 19th August) –
Theatre Scotland 
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