EDINBURGH 2023: Review: DUSK: A BITE-SIZE LOVE STORY, Greenside @ Infirmary Street, Forest Theatre

Dusk: A Bite-Size Love Story is a loving parody of the Twilight series, taking the iconic vampire story and changing names, throwing in some more jokes, and adding a few songs. The musical is made for fans of the show with hundreds of references to the work it parodies, taking some iconic quotes like “And so the lion fell in love with the lamb” and changing them to things like “And so the cougar fell in love with the sheep.”  The vampires worship a god known as the “Creator,” AKA “Stephanie,” the author of the Twilight books, a hilarious touch. 

Each of the actors is a great fit within their role, particularly the different actresses who play “Bia” (Bella) throughout. They all have Kristen Stewart’s awkward mannerisms down and exaggerated them in a hilarious fashion, leading to some of the biggest laughs with simple lip bites and shrugs. The performers have good chemistry with one another and are in sync throughout the show. I particularly loved the actor who played both Carlisle and Charlie, the two father figures in the series, with Charlie deeply in love with the other man.

The performance I attended appeared to have several technical issues, with the show starting late and recurring issues with microphones throughout the show. The cast and crew did a nice job adapting to the situation, but it was sometimes difficult to hear the actors, especially when they were running around the stage or dancing.

The issue that Dusk: A Bite-Size Love Story faces throughout the show is when to stop a bit and move on to the next. There were some moments that went on for way too long, particularly one scene in which we are introduced to the Cullen family and another where the (in)famous baseball scene turns into a long bit of dancing. 

Ultimately, Dusk: A Bite-Size Love Story is funny and clearly a loving tribute to the series it parodies, but it struggles in finding out when to stop. I would have preferred an hour-long version that would have made the creative team pick the highlights of their current work, making it tighter and much more effective.

Dusk: A Bite-Size Love Story runs at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, Forest Theatre at various times until 26 August.

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