Evangeline at The Lantern Theatre(Brighton Fringe)
Written by Rosie for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Kicking off the first weekend of Brighton Fringe, ‘Evangeline’ is a new musical by Nia Williams which tells the quick-fire life story of “showbiz survivor” Evie (played by Guy Brigg) from the moment she is born and abandoned, through her tackling the bright lights and hardships of the stage, to the present where she has made peace with her trauma. Brigg narrates, sings and sculpts a range of characters in the one-man show who all help shape and scar Evie, setting the snappy pace which makes 60 minutes feel like it goes by in the blink of an eye.
With just a chair, a pair of glasses and a box, ‘Evangeline’ is a show you come to see for the storytelling as opposed to a spectacle. It is one told with a lot of heart, but felt like it needed to be bigger in delivery when you are given nothing else on stage. The acting felt tempered, where there were moments I was begging for Brigg to add even more gusto into the mix to really ham up the passion, the drama, the emotion. It felt like it needed more bravado to really sell the piece. With a multitude of characters played by one person, each of them could have been more distinct in physicality to help distinguish who was who.
A major highlight was the way the script felt poetic in how it was written and performed, almost a lamenting elegy to the theatre business and the life lost, presented in rhyming meter amongst the songs played by the singular keyboardist. It gave the piece a real grounding in where it stood, like everything Evie did revolved around the life of drama and theatrics, even when she was not stood on stage.
‘Evangeline’ is a good beginning to a piece which could use some more energy and passion thrown into it to really make the whole thing sparkle.
Evangeline plays at the Lantern Theatre as part of Brighton Fringe until 08 May.
★ ★ ★
