ED2012 Musicals ED2012 Three To See ED2012 Week0 Edition

Three To See 2012: Musicals about death and bereavement (sorry!)

By | Published on Thursday 26 July 2012

Bereavement The Musical

ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses recommends three Fringe musicals about death and bereavement (sorry!).

Oh! What A Lovely War
The classic musical about large scale death and bereavement, and the utter stupidity of war. It’s a not-irregular visitor to the Fringe, but I tend to think that this one is always worth an outing, because the observations it makes on WWI continue to be relevant and topical in an age when we still do stupid warring things. Don’t be put off by the fact that it’s a youthful cast; as the company point out, the young performers would have been old enough to serve in the trenches back in 1914.
Oh! What A Lovely War, The Edinburgh Academy, 8-11 Aug, (Times Vary), fpp244.

Good Grief
“Three siblings come together at the wake of their estranged father’s funeral where wine flows and social etiquette goes to pot”. And yes, I can just imagine all the resentment and tension that might emerge from that scenario. In the wrong hands, I could see it becoming a disaster, but this company sound like they have received much acclaim from various quarters, so I expect it will come together very nicely.
Good Grief, C venues – C eca, 12-27 Aug (not 20), 12.15pm, fpp241. www.goodgriefedfringe.tumblr.com

Bereavement: The Musical (pictured)
“How is grief a suitable subject for a musical?” the press release asks. Well, as they’re the second group doing it, I suspect they may both have found a way to make it so. This production, which sees six characters coping with with the reality of death and its impact on their lives, apparently draws much from the tragedy experienced by its writers, but seemingly manages to “bring the lighthearted to the foreground”.
Bereavement: The Musical, C venues – C, 1-27 Aug (not 13), 6.40pm, fpp239. www.bereavementhemusical.co.uk



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