The Next Big Thing continues at theSpace on North Bridge until 23 August.
The show opens with an aspiring writer, Helena (Rebecca Ridout) who is hoping to find The Next Big Thing to bring her fame and wealth enough to give up her day job in an office. We hear about her reading countless ‘how to’ guides by way of research in how to write as she attempts the whole gamut of genres, trying to find her style.
In an almost fairy godmother entrance, Liberty appears, played with great relish by Dereck Walker. Liberty is a vision of glamour in scarlet, in the grand tradition of dames. It is this element that saves the show and Helena’s life from eternal mediocrity. Liberty forcefully creates a new, unique genre for Helena to write and to reap the rewards of success.
The rhyming structure in the lyrics is painfully predictable, for example: “I am a writer/I am a fighter.” It would have been beneficial to have a few more twists and modernity in the rhythms and patterns, particularly when the plot turns on Liberty’s influence.
There is an underlying message of being careful what you wish for as the plot darkens. This would have been an opportunity to darken the music to enhance this, but the musical line is relentlessly consistent. Both performers do their best to wring more from the songs, particularly Walker – it’s fair to say he leaves nothing ‘in the dressing room’, delivering a very committed performance.
There is a kernel of an idea in this show that needs some careful nurturing and a more oblique approach to develop into a cohesive piece of musical theatre.
Fiona Orr
* DK Productions
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/next-big-thing
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