Edges – Tabard Theatre

Luke Street, Rebecca Jayne-Davies, Christina Modestou and Thomas Henson in Edges at the Tabard Theatre, London

Edges continues at the Tabard Theatre, London until 30 August.

Edges by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul explores a familiar trait of many an American show: a journey of self-discovery by four young adults with time on their hands on vacation on America’s East Coast. It has little to add to such a well worn theme.

The story, much of it purile, is told in a collection of songs lasting an hour, a song cycle in essence, though that term is commonly employed when one singer is on stage as in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s Song and Dance. There are no instrumental interludes or dancing that would add some variety to what is an intense listen.

With a couple of exceptions Edges is hidebound by a score of meandering vocal lines playing a subservient role to the words that are sung, often with strain, to an overloud keyboard accompaniment. Two songs are a cut above the norm: ‘Be My Friend’ for the full company pokes fun at dating on the internet to a jaunty tune with a modicum of wit; ‘Dispensible’, a refective duet for Thomas Henson and Rebecca Jayne-Davies has a few interesting musical ideas and features the evening’s only quiet singing where one can appreciate Henson’s true singing voice.

The setting is a plain backdrop with steps leading up from the beach to a wooden platform, the lighting conveying the different hues stippled from brown to purple. The musical director Edward Court is on keyboards off stage left.

Adrian Edwards