Oli Fuller
A playful and fun musical which combines birthday parties and politics.
January 6th the Musical follows Kiely and Jessie, two best friends, obnoxious theatre kids, cosmically aligned with both of them being born on the 6th of January. In an attempt to make it big, the two find themselves outside the Capitol Building on their birthday in 2021 just as the insurrection begins to unfold, and in character as Abraham Lincoln and his murderer John Wilkes Booth. Their path to Broadway brings them behind bars as they spend their birthday singing and dancing their way out of criminal allegations.
The lyricism and script are smart while still being incredibly funny, and performers Sugayan and Ballard are clearly talented. The cross-cutting between different scenes and locations is where this show truly shone, such as Kiely stuck on an insurance call whilst Jessie performing to an angry mob. Though wildly different situations, their sentences blend into each other with perfected hilarity.
Their multi-role abilities were amazing, taking on the comedy classic of two people, playing four characters, in one scene, using only a change in hats. The songs are memorable, with lyrics that will stick in your head – if anything, I wish there were more of them.
Where I felt January 6th the Musical lost its punch was the pacing. Each scene ended with a blue wash over the stage, an instrumental audio of yankee doodle played in different genres to fit the previous scene, and both actors exiting the stage just to re-enter for the next scene. Often there was no change in costume and props, only sometimes some slight adjustment of the blocks that make up the set.
This massively slowed down the pacing and left the show feeling repetitive and cold. Every new scene had to do the work of re-warming up the room, reinstating the vibe and energy created by the previous scene. January 6th the Musical thus feels somewhat unpolished, and with it being so excellently written and performed, it would have been nice to see more clarity and precision in the other production elements to match.
January 6th the Musical is a warm piece of whimsy for an afternoon at the Fringe.
Recommended Drink: A President’s Cocktail, but be careful not to get caught with it.
Catch January 6th the Musical at theSpaceTriplex from August 7th to 29th (not 16th) at 17:05 (50 mins) Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Lamesha Ruddock
Issy Cory
