ED2011 3/5 Reviews ED2011 Musical Reviews

Toulouse-Lautrec: The Musical (Sawaki Productions Japan)

By Ciara Knowles | Published on Friday 12 August 2011

Flamboyant and turbulent, the life of artist Toulouse-Lautrec is anything but boring. Brought to the Fringe this year with enthusiasm and gusto, this one-man musical by Japanese company Sawaki Productions seems an unusual medium to portray the life of this French artist. Yet Jun Sawaki’s charisma and personality transcend the language barrier, and his animated acting creates a convincing performance. However, this piece of musical theatre often feels more like a disjointed recital than a musical in itself and lacks some of the body one can usually expect from a musical. Without Sawaki’s competent performance and voice, this show’s success is dubious, but his emotion and passion will certainly not be lost in translation.

C aquila, 4 – 29 Aug, 4.10pm (5.10pm), £7.50 – £10.50, fpp234.
tw rating 3/5
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