Fringe review: VAGABOND SKIES: THE VAN GOGH MUSICAL, Gilded Balloon at the Museum
Photo credit: Vagabond Skies/ Greg Macvean
Considered one of the most famous artists of all time, it is no surprise that the life of Vincent Van Gogh has finally made its way onto stage. A show that’s been manifesting for 50 years, sees Tony Norman (Music, Book and Lyrics), working with Mark Edwards (Musical Arrangements and Orchestrations) and Sarah Dormady (Director and Choreographer). Vagabond Skies: The Van Gogh Musical focuses on the last 10 years of Vincent Van Gogh's life, the struggles he faced and the undeniable bond between Vincent and his brother Theo.
After a 15-minute delay starting and some sound issues in the opening number, you slowly settle into the sung-through story. Technically, the show makes a smart decision by projecting Van Gogh’s artwork as a backdrop for the stage, creating locations, art gallery walls, or simply projecting his work as it is designed on the canvas. The company is led by Alex Bloomer as Vincent van Gogh and Richard Dawes as Theo van Gogh, who do very well in highlighting the complexity of the brothers' relationship. The remaining nine actors work tremendously well, multi-rolling and creating a solid ensemble force in numbers like ‘Asylum’ and ‘Don’t Waste Your Time on Him’. Throughout, some sound balance issues arise with the backing tracks overpowering the vocals at points. That being said, it does not take away from the vocal performances, which are arguably the strongest aspect of the show. The company excel in the close harmony work, creating a stunning blend of sound.
Overall, this contemporary-legit style musical holds a lot of heart and shows a man longing for compassion and companionship. Musical numbers ‘Stawberries in Spring’, sung by Bloomer, and ‘Born to Lose’, sung by Maren Ovidia in the role of Sien, become standout moments.
It is worth noting that this Fringe production is a condensed version of the full show. This makes sense as this one-hour Fringe version does feel slightly underdeveloped at times and the small stage hinders the possibility of more interesting blocking and transitions. As a whole, it is clear that Vagabond Skies: The Van Gogh Musical has a lot of potential and given more time and a slightly larger space, the show could be a real one to watch!
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Catriona Lamb