EDINBURGH 2026: Review: 1 NIGHT AT FORD'S THEATRE at Bubble At Rotunda Theatre
A historical musical surrounding Lincoln's assassination fails to find its footing at the Fringe.
While the Edinburgh Fringe serves as a vital playground for experimental new writing, putting a musical in front of a paying audience still demands a foundational level of dramatic cohesion. Kaely Michels-Gualtieri’s 1 Night at Ford’s Theatre promises a high-concept "circus of memory" exploring Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth in the tragic wake of his brother John Wilkes Booth’s assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Yet, despite the intriguing premise, the result is an unpolished draft that simply isn't ready for the stage.
The narrative framework feels entirely undisciplined, attempting to stitch together Shakespearean fragments, historical trauma, and circus motifs with minimal structural glue. Despite the writer's background as a former Cirque du Soleil trapeze artist, there is no actual circus element or physical spectacle on offer. Instead, the concept rests entirely on P.T. Barnum acting as a baffling emcee, a presence so misplaced that the character even delivers a meta-line admitting they don't quite know why they're there.
Musically, the score by Chi Wai Hu and Sabrina Steuer suffers from a lack of clear musical direction. The orchestrations lack polish and struggle to bridge dramatic beats, leaving vocal lines floating without momentum. The single bright spot in the hour arrives via the performer portraying Edwin, who delivers their lines with committed clarity and a decent singing voice. However, singular vocal talent cannot salvage a script in desperate need of a ground-up rewrite.
With refined casting, a musical director at the helm, and a complete overhaul of its book, an intriguing piece might eventually emerge. In its current state, 1 Night at Ford's Theatre fails to deliver.
1 Night at Ford's Theatre ran at Bubble at Rotunda Theatre (Venue 65) through August 2026.
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