EDINBURGH 2013 - BWW Reviews: BETWEEN EMPIRES, theSpace @ Symposium Hall, August 15 2013

It's a familiar tale - a girl from an exotic land (in this case India), heading straight for an arranged marriage to a man she doesn't love, falls for someone from another culture (a British Lieutenant) and all hell breaks loose. So far so seen-it-all-before - there's even a spin on the fish tank moment in Baz Luhrmann's 'Romeo + Juliet'. 'Between Empires' won't win any prizes for plot originality, but what it has to its credit is a mesmerising, brand new score (by Michail Palaiologou, also Musical Director) and a clutch of vocal performances that demolish any reasonable expectations of what one might encounter in a Fringe show.

Really, the singing here is incredible. Almost everyone who opened their mouth became my favourite cast member there and then, but special mention must go to Claire-Marie Hall (the aforementioned young lady Anala) whose sweet, crystal clear vocals are never anything less than delightful - Disney-esque in the best possible way - and Keith Higham as Major Sydenham, the villain of the piece. Higham takes one particular solo, not the most obviously melodic of the show, and creates a moment of real theatrical power, his voice filling every corner of the room (brilliantly aided, admittedly, by Sound Engineer Andy Josephs). In addition, Hindustani vocals by Kartik Raghunathan are so gorgeously precise that I almost suspected they were recorded (needless to say, they weren't).

This production, both written and produced by Morgan Mackintosh and Orlando Simon and directed by Will Wrightson, is an abridged version of a longer show, and its brisk 80-minute running time leaves you with the unmistakable sense that there is a great deal more you'd like to know about the characters (particularly the Lieutenant's brother, played by Daryl Armstrong, whose final song is terrific and wonderfully sung but who could benefit from the room to endear himself to the audience to give the scene some extra emotional heft), and this bodes very well indeed for future incarnations.

Picking a musical to see at the Fringe is always tricky, especially with brand new shows, and lack of name recognition must be something of a liability here, but it also helps to make 'Between Empires' the immensely enjoyable surprise it is. It is a hugely ambitious show with its eye on the West End, and it's hard to think of reasons why it shouldn't make it - and flourish - there. So it's a must-see, but even more importantly, with a score and cast of this calibre, it's a must-hear.

Between Empires runs daily at 17:35 until Saturday 24th September.

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