Fringe Review: THE REAL KYLE MCCARREN, Forth at Pleasance Courtyard

Photo credit: Natalie Powers

Some shows you pre-book at the Fringe because they have the PR, the press, the marketing budgets and the names behind them. And then there are the shows you squeeze into your schedule because people keep telling you, “you MUST see this.” 

This year, The Real Kyle McCarren was that show for us. And Besties, they were absolutely right. 

The musical tells the true story of writer and performer Andy Roninson and the sudden death of his best friend and former bandmate, Kyle McCarren. Roninson plays himself, while his real-life friend and co-creator Sean McVerry plays Kyle, with Vincent Jamal Hooper, Jaygee Macapugay and Sarah Coffey completing the company. 

And when a show is dealing with grief, there is always the danger of putting a huge emotional sign above the audience saying “NOW IS THE TIME TO CRY.” Thankfully, The Real Kyle McCarren does absolutely none of that. 

Andy wins us over almost immediately, standing at the piano and launching into a song about how he can't sing while being, as fact would have it, very capable of singing. But that self-deprecation is instantly charming and, within minutes, the audience is completely behind him. It’s worth mentioning Roninson is clearly a musical prodigy. 

What follows is Andy trying to make sense of Kyle's death, their complicated friendship and the people who knew Kyle in different ways. We find out very early that Kyle has died, so this isn't a musical waiting for some enormous reveal. Instead, we're watching Andy work through what happens when someone you love is suddenly no longer there. The show moves between memories, music, stories and encounters with the people Kyle left behind, gradually building a picture of a man who was clearly complicated, difficult and deeply loved. And that's where this show really got us. 

There is no sugar-coated conclusion to grief here. There isn't a moment when everything is magically okay. Instead, the message feels much more truthful: sometimes grieving is simply getting up the next morning, then doing it again the morning after that, and continuing to put one foot in front of the other. 

Sean McVerry is wonderful as Kyle, both acting and singing the role with such ease that you completely understand the friendship at the centre of the story. Watching him and Andy bounce off of one another throughout the show is an absolute joy, particularly because you can feel the genuine history between the two performers. McVerry is also an accomplished musician, and that musical connection between the two of them gives the piece another lovely layer. 

The supporting cast deserve their own moment too. Vincent Jamal Hooper is incredibly charming, absolutely oozing charisma and possesses an astonishing voice, while Jaygee Macapugay is equally hilarious and heartbreaking as Kyle's mother. And then there is Sarah Coffey, whose beautiful voice completely changes the temperature of the room. Her performance of ‘The Last Snow’ was particularly gorgeous and genuinely broke our hearts..

The songs are all earworms in fact. They are beautifully written, varied in style and often very funny before suddenly delivering a huge belt when you least expect it. The music never feels as though it is desperately trying to manufacture an emotional response; instead, it allows the story and the characters to do the work. 

The whole thing has a wonderfully relaxed quality. It doesn't feel over-produced or overly dramatised, and yet somehow it hits every emotional beat exactly where it needs to. There is comedy, grief, friendship and a lot of very good music, all wrapped up in a show that feels incredibly comfortable in its own skin. 

Andy Roninson is a seriously exciting new musical-theatre voice, and we really hope this isn't the last time we see his work over here. He is a hugely talented pianist and composer, and The Real Kyle McCarren feels like the beginning of something that could have a very exciting future beyond Edinburgh. The show has already had development support in New York, including the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat and Pipeline Arts Foundation, before making its UK debut here. 

The Real Kyle McCarren is charming, funny, beautifully performed and incredibly sincere without ever becoming too sentimental. 

The breakout musical of the Fringe. 

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: James Edge

The Real Kyle McCarren plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 30 Aug, with further info here.