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Alchemation, known for the international hit "SIX," is among an
increasingly established presence of musical theatre at the
Fringe, which takes over the Scottish capital for the month of
August.
"It felt like the perfect place to start," Lucas McMahon, vice
president at Alchemation, told Reuters.
The company's "Hello Kitty Must Die," based on the novel by Hong
Kong-born, U.S.-based writer Kate Kamen (formerly Angela S. Choi)
is playing at Edinburgh's Pleasance until Aug. 27.
Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, says
the momentum around Edinburgh musicals has stemmed from the
success of "SIX," the story of the wives of Henry VIII, which
began as a Cambridge student production at the Fringe.
It transferred to London's West End, where it was spotted by
Alchemation, which took it to Broadway and beyond.
Compared to New York or London, the Fringe as a testing ground
has the advantage of providing weeks of feedback from festival
audiences renowned for being adventurous and international.
"It's the world's biggest market place for theatre," Alderson
said.
Another established name testing the mood is British-Jamaican
reggae musician and entrepreneur Levi Roots.
His musical "Sound Clash: Death in the Arena" is co-directed by
Ray Shell, who told Reuters the Edinburgh stint would deliver
audience reaction to "let you know if you're on the right track
or not".
In this case, the producers can afford a financial risk.
The Pleasance and other venues, meanwhile, have responded to
criticism from performers who say that, while big names are
arriving, the city's high accommodation costs exclude cutting
edge theatre that historically used it as a launchpad.
To address that, the venue has shared 50,000 pounds ($64,250)
between six shows, including "Public - The Musical," which tells
the story of four strangers who find themselves trapped in a
gender-neutral public toilet.
It is the first time one of its diversity grants has supported a
musical as the genre cements its presence. The Pleasance alone
has 16 musicals this year, its most yet, it said, out of roughly
140 across the Fringe as a whole.
($1 = 0.7782 pounds)
(Reporting by Barbara Lewis and Sarah Mills; Editing by
Bernadette Baum)
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