Roe McDonnell
“Is this sh*t good enough?” “For the fringe?”
Absolutely! Those lyrics are from the opening number of the new hit Fringe premiere musical Midnight at the Palace – this group of hippies and gender bending performers are exactly what you type into Pinterest looking for anything from the 60s.
The story’s central group, the Cockettes are a drag ensemble of outcasts that took the San Francisco scene by storm and take the journey to New York which doesn’t end how they precisely hoped. Our modern cast is built by West End regulars Al Knott, Baylie Carson, Gregory Haney and plenty more. The book by Rae Binstock shows the authentic conversations and experiences of the 60s with infectious character numbers by Brandon James Gwinn. The connections and bonds with each character is so amazing to see especially in the light of LGBTQ rights that this group fought for us now under attack.
The show’s choreography and direction by Paul McGill is one of the most immersive I’ve seen at the fringe this year and it’s as raunchy and charismatic as you would expect.
The production design by Max Allen and Elliott Adcock are so incredibly vibrant and versatile it is built perfect for the Big Yin space at Gilded Balloon.
While this musical is amazing for its fringe premiere it feels that it is too fast paced and the character development is there but turns from one to the next extremely quickly. It also fails to bring up any mention of the wider LGBTQ+ struggles of aids and Stonewall until the very end of the play just before the finale in one short interaction about how ‘that’s history we can’t change it’ before going straight into the finale. I hope in any future longer form performances we see more of these themes.
You can catch Midnight at the Palace until August 24th at Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House from 21:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
