Fringe review: THE UNCRACKABLE CASE, Pleasance Courtyard

Photo credit: David Lindsay

How did Humpty Dumpty die - was he pushed? Did he jump? Or was it simply a great fall? This new musical is setting the story straight at the Edinburgh Fringe this year.

Front Room Productions and Lawrence Batley Theatre bring comedy musical The Uncrackable Case, which follows Jill, a filmmaker with big aspirations and whose world comes tumbling down after she’s put on trial for egg-icide. With BB Wolf defending her, Little Red leading the prosecution and many fairytale characters making a cameo, this show really does spark imagination.

The script, written by Jamie Walsh, is cleverly crafted, crammed with egg-cellent puns and witty pop culture references. The wacky cartoon-style set alongside director Olivia Race’s dynamic blocking does a wonderful job of keeping the show visually engaging. With integrated captioning at every performance, and humour fit for children as well as adults, this show is incredibly accessible.

The all-female cast, including Alice Barber, Riana Duce, Purvi Parmar and Emily Spowage, is really where this production is the most impressive. The cast multi-roles countless fairytale characters, and all of them do an incredible job at having defining characteristics for each, as well as adding small costume bits to avoid any potential confusion.

A shout-out must go to Emily Spowage, who is exceptionally funny. Her versatility to switch between such an array of characters so effortlessly is unbelievably impressive, including a Britney Spears inspired Goldilocks, which has the audience giggling. Equally, Purvi Parmar wows the audience with her strong vocal performance and comedic timing throughout the show.

Although fast-paced, the show does feel a little long, with some scenes and backstories feeling slightly more like filler than anything pivotal to the plot. A few of the songs do feel similar musically, however, overall, composers Claire O’Connor and Bay Bryan do create a catchy score which will have audiences bopping their heads and tapping their feet.

The Uncrackable Case does provide a cracking good time, which the whole family can enjoy, so make sure to add it to your Fringe watch lists!

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Catriona Lamb

The Uncrackable Case plays at Edinburgh Festival Fringe until 25 August, with further info here.