ED FRINGE 2023 REVIEW | Four Felons and a Funeral
★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Penny
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
GOYA is a young, queer and femme-led theatre company, bringing this new musical to the Fringe. It's written by Sam Woof (they/them) and Màth Roberts (he/him) who also take on directing and musical directing duties.
Four Felons and a Funeral is about Charlie's friends who are setting off on a road trip to scatter his ashes, on the way going through the five stages of grief ... although maybe not the five stages you would expect.
The writing achieves an excellent balance between comedy and poignancy. It also incorporates gender identity with honesty and intelligence, as part of dialogue that feels very natural and never forced or "preachy". The music is very reminiscent of Stephen Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown, the cast of four blend perfectly with tight harmonies and mostly clear diction. Musical numbers all help to move the plot along or give us an insight into the characters, with a bit of light relief provided by a number about the joys of motorway service stations. The opening song was perhaps a little hard to understand at first but the actors on stage quickly settled into their characters and had the audience on side by the first chorus. The sound balance, often a problem at Fringe venues with quick turnarounds between shows, was spot on.
The cast all convince as the four close friends of the recently deceased Charlie, each giving us distinctive and relatable characters who are coming to terms both with their loss and with challenges they are facing in their own lives. The road trip is instigated by Charlie's friend Millie, played by Gabrielle Friedman (she/they) who gives powerful vocals and a very clear sense of Millie's personal conflict - should she grow up and settle down or continue an irresponsible life looking for the next adventure.
Dragged along for the ride is Millie's sensible girlfriend Saz, played by Rua Barron (she/her). She's the outsider in the group, on the surface uptight and often disapproving, but showing a raw vulnerability in her excellent solo number.
Non-binary Wilf, played by Jordan Broatch (they/them) has their own demons, hidden behind a social media addiction and some sassy quips and one liners, all delivered with great comic timing. I would have liked to learn a little more about Wilf, probably the least developed character, but time constraints did not allow for a deep dive into their back story which I'm sure could fill a show of its own.
Finally, an outstanding performance came from Maggy Maguire (she/her), playing Charlie's sister Bex. Her delivery at the start is almost deadpan with stoicism and a refusal to break down and properly mourn, which makes her character's growth all the more impactful. She has the show's first solo, stating that she's fine in a deceptively simple sounding melody. Her delivery makes it clear she is anything but fine.
Four Felons and a Funeral is a highly enjoyable show about love, loss and moving on - it'll make you laugh and maybe even make you cry in places as it switches in a heartbeat from comedy to heartbreak. The madness of the road trip has a strangely satisfying ending. It's the perfect way to kick off your afternoon at the Fringe.
Four Felons and a Funeral is performing at The Pleasance until 27 Aug.
