89 Nights
C Venues, Edinburgh Fringe
Reviewed by Freddie Lee on the 16th August 2018
I don't know about you but I am a huge fan of New York and new musicals so when I got the opportunity to go and see 89 Nights, I didn't think twice.
89 Nights is a new musical about a girl called Alice who is fresh out of school and eager to start her adventure in New York. With only 89 Nights on her ESTA tourist visa she hopes to find out what is so magical about the city. When she arrives, she is greeted by her hosts, the most dysfunctional family in Manhattan and begins to realise that New York isn't all just fun and games. Aided by her new found friend Ben and a whole host of eccentrics, Alice begins to answer the question, 'If you know when it's going to end, what's the point in starting?'.
When you enter the theatre, there are cast members welcoming you to 'New York' and taking you to your seat even though it is unreserved seating. This is a great thing to have at the beginning of the show as it already sets the tone for the hustle and bustle of New York city.
The two main characters, Alice and Ben, are played by Rachel Xuereb and Talisker Little respectively and they are both brilliant at their roles. Rachel fits Alice perfectly with her acting and voice. She does a fabulous job at playing the girl filled with naïve hope and a huge imagination and her performance from beginning to the end was completely captivating. Talisker as Ben was remarkable. He has his character down to a fine art and paired with exceptional vocals, his portrayal is a delight to watch. Credit has to go to the ensemble who make a cast of 8 seem like 80 and their ability to switch between characters effortlessly is impressive.
The original score is by Fintan Kealy and Tom Tanner. It is a modern take on musical theatre, like a contemporary twist on the Great American Songbook. As a whole, it fits the story perfectly. The song 'Everything's Fine' is one of my favourites as it is a touching duet between Alice and Ben and the catchy, Broadway, showbiz tune, - 'New York, New York City' - paints New York as a spectacle. The set design is simple as it's only a black curtain with the skyline on and a couple of stools however it is very effective and it is very easy to change the scene to something different. My only criticism is that I wish it was longer however it does pack a lot into 50 minutes. With the extra time I would like to see the story expanded upon with new ideas but it is perfect now.
89 Nights is a beautiful new musical intertwined with magnificient music, an all star cast and a gorgeous storyline. I have no doubts that we will be seeing more of this amazing show soon.
89 Nights is currently playing at C Venues - C Too at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Do you have a show you would like me to review? e-mail me at freddieelee@gmail.com
Thank you to Troubadour Stageworks and the team at 89 Nights for inviting me to see and review their show!
