Shout! The Musical Review
Tiger Paws Juniors Stories: 5 stars
Momentum Theatre, 17.45 daily
I really like musicals. They make me happy and I value their presence almost over dance or theatre. In my opinion, the skills required to sing, dance and act on stage in a musical surpasses most other forms of artistic performance.
I am a musical lover, I hold no qualms about that and deny it to none. I used to sing Les Mis in the car at full volume when I was ten and The Last Five Years makes me happy when I’m having a bad day.
So when I got an email from Max (Emmerson) offering a ticket to Shout! I happily accepted. They’re my jam, why wouldn’t I? I did enter with a preconception of ‘I’ve never heard of this show, I hope it’s not too bad’ mentality. We review so many shows that one can’t help judging.
I entered the beautiful hall at Momentum on Stephens Square and was super excited with the set design. It’s such a nice venue and the lights and set are big and impressive, unlike many venues closer to the centre that can’t have such an immense setting, that I just sat down and enjoyed the space.
We sat on the church pews and watched the girls perform an hour long selection of heartfelt 60’s classics.
From Goldfinger to Those were the Days my friend, everything was lovely. They were just so good.
I believe they trained at Lipper together (maybe that’s not how you spell it), which is strictly acting and none of the six have a Musical Theatre background. That blew my mind because they were so good.
I don’t want to single any of the six out personally, because there is no star of the show, no lead character if you will. Also all of their performances are memorable and the emsemble piece is magic. They work fluidly and well together and it seems like it’s effortless even though the amount of skill required is immense.
They look like they enjoy their jobs which is lovely to see. I was a little bit unprofessional and fancied the shit out of one of the cast,…. but I didn’t vocalise it so my integrity (and possible dignity) remained intact lol.
The songs are probably the best bit. The live band is conducted by the Pianist and is located directly behind the set and in view which gives the old church a special echo. Live music is integral to the show and the girls look like they relish the ability to sing with the accompaniment. Those Were the Days My Friend was my favourite given my Irish raring but there were so many memorable songs that interlink nicely.
All in all, I would recommend this show highly. It’s probably my favourite show I’ve seen so far. A feel good musical with a great heart. If you want to feel good and Edinburgh crazy is getting you down a little bit, go to this show. They’ll cheer you up.
Tiger Paws Junior’s Stories, 5 Stars
Tiger Paws Junior 