Fringe review: 2020 THE MUSICAL, Fit the Mould Productions - Edinburgh Festival Fringe

You think you know the story. You don't. This brand new musical celebrates human resilience in every form. From the West End stage to the shelves of Lidl, care homes to the door of No 10, these are the uplifting and unexpected true stories of everyday heroes as you've never heard them before.

Written, directed and choreographed by Natasha Mould (who also plays Emily) and with musical composition and orchestration by Richard Vanryne, 2020 The Musical is part serious highlight of the effects and part comical tale of the ridiculous situations that arose during lockdown.

The show begins with a Busker, played by Samantha Richards, who becomes our narrator throughout the piece. It's a nice element and rounds the piece comfortably. Mould as Emily and Tom Watson as Adam are our protagonists in the piece, both are strong and talented in their performances.

There is a satirical element of the performance with Oly Britten as Boris Johnson which is funny, but like other aspects in the piece, it could have been taken further for more laughs. For example, two elderly residents in the care home perform a full energy tap dance routine. This was a great piece of choreography, but didn't make a lot of sense. Taken further out of context, it would have been funnier and more of a statement comedy piece.

Whilst there are good performances all round, topics covered feel obvious, and don't gel particularly well with the main part of the story - Captain Tom Moore in relation to West End stars being out of work. We're also not sure we all needed a reminder of what we experienced in lockdown, its not something anyone wants to repeat in a hurry!

An obvious choice for a musical theme, but could have pushed the boundaries more.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

2020 The Musical plays in the Cowbarn at Underbelly, Bristo Square at 3.55pm until 27 August.