Review written for Female Arts Magazine at the Edinburgh Festival fringe 2015.
Shout! Is theatre new comer Max Emmersons take on George and Lowenstein’s off-broadway hit of the same name; a cut back version designed to fit the 60 minute Fringe time slot. Telling the story of five women’s journey’s through life in the early 60’s and 70’s, Shout! Is filled with hits from the era expertly woven in to the dialogue, shaping the structure of the story and bringing real emotion to the production.
The quality of talent in this production is exceptional. Evangeline Pickerill is hilarious in her portrayal of a McCartney obsessed American and Emily Chestarton’s voice is gave me serious Dusty Springfield feels. The cast sing together incredibly well and their performance as a whole is award worthy. With the storyline touching on big issues like domestic abuse and coming out, I felt that the show was a lot more than just a sing along. It really edges towards being a social commentary on how women were perceived during that time, something I hadn’t expected. The show also has real depth to its characters which the actors really honoured, they were able to draw you in and keep you invested; I would really love to see the full production.
The set it’s self along with the props were fairly simple yet the way they were used brought a sense of realness to the stage, it really did feel like you were in a teenage girls bedroom, listening to LuLu and dreaming of Jimi Hendrix (much better than Paul McCartney!). Being a fan of vintage I especially loved the costume design, the outfits looked completely from that era, from the sleek up do’s right down to the “crippling” high heeled boots! Overall Shout! Is a great night out, thoroughly enjoyable and will leave you singing Downtown for days on end!