Review: CARRIE HOPE FLETCHER: LOVE LETTERS, Festival Theatre Edinburgh - Tour
Carrie Hope Fletcher is unquestionably one of the biggest stars working in British musical theatre today. From her starring roles in Les Miserables, Heathers, The Addams Family and more, to her popular YouTube channel, she has amassed a legion of fans, and, after a successful solo tour last year, has taken to the stage yet again with Love Letters, a charming concert all about love in its many varied forms.
As with last year’s An Open Book, the audience is given the opportunity to vote for the setlist, by selecting which letters they want to hear from a list featuring everything from “To Eponine” to “To Thunder and Lightning”. The catch is that we don’t know which songs go with which letters, which leads to some surprising but very welcome choices.
The format allows Fletcher to sing songs she’s known for, but also (and more often) songs you wouldn’t expect from her, from roles that she’s unlikely to play. For example, the aforementioned “To Eponine” doesn’t lead to a rendition of ‘On My Own’, but instead to a medley of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’, ‘(I Won’t Say) I’m In Love’ and ‘Secret Love’; the latter offering a small teaser of what audiences can expect when Fletcher takes to the stage as Calamity Jane next year.
The letters themselves are sentimental and often come with some sort of lesson or message, be that of advocating for self-love above all others, learning from failed relationships, or realising that adults are just winging their way through life and really don’t know it all. It’s all very scripted, but Fletcher has a very natural way of delivering the text which makes us feel as if she’s speaking directly to us, like she’s chatting to a friend instead of performing to a packed theatre. It makes the whole thing feel very endearing and warm.
Throughout the tour, Fletcher has been joined by a host of her own West End best friends, and in Edinburgh, we were treated to her Les Mis and Treason co-star, Bradley Jaden. Their renditions of ‘Blind Faith’ from Treason and ‘Crazier Than You’ from The Addams Family were packed with beautifully controlled vocals and the kind of easy chemistry that comes with a close friendship. It’s a real highlight of the night, and it’s lovely to see Fletcher banter so easily with Jaden.
Fletcher’s vocals throughout are impeccable. She fills the setlist with challenging numbers and manages them masterfully, from the gentle ‘Stars and the Moon’, to the bombastic ‘Just Around the Corner’ where Fletcher takes on the mantle of a different member of the Addams Family than she’s known for, and finally to the show-stopping ‘Being Alive’, which ends the concert with a powerful statement about loving yourself.
Fletcher is ably supported by a small but perfectly formed ensemble of five instrumentalists (and on this night, a surprise appearance by a bagpiper!) and is surrounded by a set full of books, letters and cosy soft furnishings, giving the impression that we are in the whimsical living room that exists in her mind.
All in all, this concert is a love letter in and of itself. Fletcher is a mother now, she’s married to the love of her life, and she seems to know herself and her audience very well. For two hours, Fletcher holds us in the palm of her hand, and when she lets us go, it’s with the reminder that no matter what else happens in our lives, the love that we give ourselves will always set us on the right path.
***** Five stars
Reviewed by: Lorna Murray