EDINBURGH 2025: Review: DIRTY MONEY, TheSpace On The Mile
A dynamic, fast-paced musical about desperation, deception and a daring prison break.
Following the arrest of a famous billionaire, four unlikely friends team up to break her out of prison in return for half her fortune. Led by bumbling Luke and set in the rather grim reality of struggling to make ends meet, it’s an interesting concept that asks the audience to question what their morals would really be under duress and begs the question: “if I’m not the worst person here, is my position justified?” Featuring a number of good songs, a charismatic villain, and funny side characters, Dirty Money has the makings of a great musical.
It could do with a longer runtime to really explore some of the deeper themes, as a lot of emotional moments and motivations are glossed over. The main characters may be desperate, but it is very surprising that they are all immediately on board with a high-stakes crime, despite having little to no idea what they will do to face or avoid the consequences. There were a few other faults in the plot that made it hard to follow or broke the suspension of disbelief, but this was mostly made up for by comedic moments and fantastic use of staging.
An extended show with a touch more rehearsal time could explore the complexities of why people turn to crime and allow tension to build more effectively. As it is, this show is pleasantly silly and suited to fans of crime dramas who wish the characters broke into song mid-crime. The initial song does an imperfect job of setting the tone, so it’s a good idea to know what you’re walking into.
Dirty Money is at TheSpace On The Mile until 23 August
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