EDINBURGH 2010: BWW Reviews: DYSLEXIA THE MUSIKAL

Dyslexia the Musikal follows the story of Adam and Eva, two teenagers with dyslexia who, in the process of trying to find a cure, fall into the hands of a megalomaniac keen to swindle dyslexics under the assumption that they're stupid.

On the whole, it was a bit inconsistent. While there are some great performances (especially from James Robinson as the villain of the piece) and some genuinely funny moments, it feels like the production would have benefited from a little while longer to develop the writing. While the story is based around the theme of dyslexia, it was only very loosely the focus. If you're expecting the show to say something substantial about dyslexics (other than the standard 'you can achieve what you want with hard work' message) then you might be a bit disappointed. But to be honest after reading the plot I doubt anyone would be expecting this to be a hard-hitting show with a serious message.

That's not to say that I didn't enjoy it - overall I did. The problem for me is that while I don't really mind things to be a bit random and to focus on the underlying humour that they're attempting to portray, others might not find it so easy to see past the underdeveloped story. The best songs were the well-known musical classics which had been parodied, and I think this further suggests that the necessary comic writing skills are there, but they just need a bit of work.

Basically, if you're happy to go along to have a light-hearted laugh and hear some parodies then you'll probably walk out of the show happy.

 

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