Mothman - A Romance Musical review: Everyone’s new favourite musical
Edinburgh Fringe
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Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
Image: Hudson Hughes
by Zoe Paskett
First things first, Mothman is my new favourite musical and it’s going to be yours. Forget for a second that it’s an extremely funny comedy show performed by extremely funny people – it’s also an accomplished musical with all the tunes, harmonies and dance breaks you could wish for in a hit show.
Written by Alex Franklin and Nikola McMurtrie, who star alongside Alex Prescot and Hudson Hughes, Mothman: A Romance Musical (to use its full title) follows a group of teens wandering the woods of West Virginia in search of the mysterious and elusive Mothman, the result of a World War Two super-soldier experiment gone wrong. They meet an array of curious characters along the way, from the absolute last members of law enforcement you’d want to show up at a crime scene to a wisdom tree with questionable advice.
With Alex Franklin as the lynchpin in the role of sweet and naive Anna, the others fill out the story as they switch between characters and costumes at breakneck speed (you can only imagine the amount of scuttling going on in the wings). It is winningly DIY in just the way you want a comedy musical to be, packed to the rafters with gags. And oh boy is it romantic!
But don’t get me wrong: It is clear how much hard work and time has gone into making this. You hear it in the song composition and harmonies, and see it in the movement: everything from complex choreographed dance breaks to fight scenes, which the cast throw their whole asses into. None of this is surprising if you’re familiar with Alex and Nikola’s talents in the musical arts, but it is wonderful to see them unleashed and put to full use.
This is undoubtedly a show that everyone would enjoy with no prior knowledge, however there is a more specific joy to be found for audiences who have seen those involved before. Because, while this is a fantastic stand-alone piece of work, the individual fingerprints of its creators are very much all over Mothman. It’s totally unique – a show that only these comedians could have made.
The immediate standing ovation that met Mothman’s curtain call came as no surprise. This is the type of show you’ll leave feeling like you need to see it again. Now I’m just waiting on the original cast recording, please!
Mothman: A Romance Musical is at Underbelly Cowgate, Belly Button, 18:50 (not 18th). Tickets here
