In the shadow of Edinburgh Castle lies a very beautiful St Cuthbert’s Parish Church. It’s a venue that lends itself well to all the drama of the musical and it’s got a beautiful roof that’s really worth raising.
There’s a sweep of ball gown on the flagged stone aisle and heads turn. Edinburgh Music Theatre certainly know how to make an entrance, by gliding like Ginger Rogers through their audience. Unfortunately, the company doesn’t quite sustain that high impact drama until the finale. In Musical Company is a pleasurable hour of musical standards that does exactly what is says on the tin, no more and no less. It does, as promised provide a platform for some of Edinburgh’s finer vocals and showcased some stand-out soloists in numbers such as ‘What I Did for Love’, alongside some shakier ones. It also demonstrates a genuine commitment to making its performances accessible with the full integration of British Sign Language throughout the show.
Edinburgh Music Theatre are at their best when they’re all back together again, belting out the big ones and that’s why they are worth going to see. Numbers like ‘Day by Day’ and the gorgeous finale ‘Seasons of Love’ from Rent are splendid to watch, since the sheer sense of satisfaction the company gets from performing them radiates across the venue. That’s when Edinburgh Music Theatre start to raise that beautiful roof, making them “oh, so easy to love.”
