The Edinburgh Fringe is rife with potential material for further development, with the ability to expand into larger theatres and venture on tour or onto a London transfer. Usually that means ramping up the production scale and cast size – yet brand new musical Bliss brings a scale that makes you feel like you’ve stepped out of Edinburgh and into a theatre in London’s West End. Bliss is currently playing The Pleasance Courtyard Grand Theatre until 31st August.
Bliss follows four sisters who escape their tower and collide with the outside world. They quickly learn that fairy godfathers rule and happy endings come at a cost.
For a Fringe production, Bliss has a large cast of 18 performers, yet each and every member brings such life, energy and talent to this bombastic 80-minute joyride.
Leading this production as Piper, one of the four sisters, is Akshara Gunda. Akshara brings a great inquisitiveness and also utilises the time she has to truly explore Piper’s longing for something more. With powerful vocals, complemented by a really nuanced and beautiful character portrayal, you really root for Piper. When the twist in this story affects Piper, the switch-up is hilarious and brilliantly done by Akshara. I won’t spoil anything, but this is such a well-rounded, superb performance.
Akshara is accompanied by three incredible actresses as her sisters. Alexandra Emmerson-Kirby brings killer vocals and a luminous personality to the stage as Carmella, the rock and roll sister. Miriam Nyarko brings maturity, a beautiful voice, and maternal instincts to Faye, the eldest sister. Finally Matilda Shapland is hysterically funny as the quirky nature-loving Holly. The four sisters work brilliantly as a quartet, leaving the audience wanting more time of them together, especially when it comes to musical numbers.
Tom Bennett is camptastic as Glimmermore, bringing a real flare and showmanship to the fairy godfather. The comedic nuance is a tonic. This is a fab character which resembles the male equivalent of Jennifer Saunders’ Fairy Godmother from Shrek 2. Cameron Johnson is noble, farcical and loveable as the King, his paternal instinct is clear and makes for a lovely supporting character.
Further supporting characters featured include Kara Lane, whose presence, rich vocals and ballet style movement is lush to watch as she plays Taffeta. Jordan Calloway is bombastically farcical as Prince Devin, bringing almost an early naughties club scene so much life in his sparkling entrance.
The ensemble for this production take on princesses, jesters, unicorns and so much more. The ensemble are as follows; Alicia Belgrade, Maya De Faria, Ronalee Galhena, Millie Gubby, Ella McLaughlin, Ella Valentine. Ollie Augustin, Archie Durrant, Will Twiste and Misty May Tindall (Swing).
Emma Lively and Tyler Beattie supply the book, music & lyrics for this quirky and fantasy-driven production. The book feels like Six meets Into The Woods meets Shrek 2, yet it feels original and fresh. You truly engage with the story and are invested in the world and characters, yet you feel like it has been condensed to meet the one act expectations of the Fringe when it could be afforded more exploration time. It feels like the show’s identity could do with a bit of tightening up prior to any future transfer.
The music and lyrics are catchy and enjoyable; there are a few numbers that fade away from memory faster than others, yet they are all varied and fit well within this contemporary musical theatre production. Sheryl Kaller’s direction is bright, ambitious, and with the help of Jason Ardizzone-West’s set design, visually stunning. The simplistic yet detailed treads and forest setting really add levels and establish the setting. Jay Morjaria’s lighting design is fluorescent, bright and beautiful; the LED tubes, which look like vines, are a real visual selling point of this production and bring so much. Josh Prince’s choreography also needs to get an honourable mention for constantly filling the space, adding to the spectacle and lifting the energy of musical numbers.
The big question is Bliss really a fringe production? It feels more like a preview for a large-scale production than something which you would usually find in Edinburgh. When you look at Six and The Play That Goes Wrong when they had their debuts at the Fringe, they scaled up for the West End, but when the scale is so large already for Bliss, you truly wonder what its future production will look like? As it’s clear Bliss has a future.
Bliss is a fun, colourful and whimsical production, featuring a stellar cast and a scale rarely seen at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Get Tickets for Bliss here – https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/bliss?utm_source=web&utm_medium=nav#
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