Music and Lyric: Alexander S. Bermange
Director/Choreographer: Joanna Goodwin
After finishing its second and very successful Edinburgh Fringe Festival run, I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical, gives the beautiful venue of St. Luke’s Bombed Out Church; open to all weathers, sounds of the city traffic and the city people, a dazzlingly entertaining performance.
With many awards and accolades under its belt, this satirical comedy about the life of a musical theatre actor from diva to dump, charmed the Liverpool audience to no end. I Wish My Life Were Like a Musical has received many awards and accolades and has had great success in performing all over the world from the UK, to Switzerland and Seoul. There’s no surprise that this hilarious show has bagged itself the winner of the West End Wilma award for best cabaret/solo performance as the triple threat cast hit us with comedy, belts that would make Celine Dion envious and even a tap routine.
The cast this evening was made up of Luke Harley, Alice Ellen Wright, Harry Winchester and Holly Prentice. Although there was a lack of diversity on stage, the talent from the actors was outstanding. Every song included impressive powerhouse vocals, complicated rhythms and melodies all whilst dancing to a West End quality on a small, outdoor stage. Due to being open to the elements, quite often it was difficult to understand what the cast were singing but their acting style gave us a very clear indication of the story-telling of the song. There was no set other than four chairs that were used on stage and the actors were dressed in all black. Seeing the cast of actors dressed in a more inventive and creative style, or including some elements of costume would have enhanced their performance even more.
As well as the actors, Alexander S. Bermange took pride of place on stage as the pianist and gave a flawless performance of his own composition. He piped in with some humorous one liners which really helped to bring him into the action and added an extra slice of comedy to the show.
Overall, the jokes and quips about the life of a struggling actor struck a chord with certain members of the audience tonight who may even going through the same strifes as the characters they saw on stage this evening. The gruelling life of auditioning, having to work (and even kiss) infuriating colleagues, finally getting the call to say “you’re going on!”, having to sing whilst doing a flawless tap routine and even how to find your zen in a shared dressing room. This show had it all.
And for the other audience members who may not work in this challenging, frightening and wonderfully magical industry, they got a little slice into what our world can really entail. The message to take away from this show is that although it can kill you, it’s the magic that makes you. After a standing ovation from the audience, it’s clear to see that if musical theatre comedy satire is your thing, then this is show is definitely one to watch.
Reviewed on 31 Aug 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
Dazzling
