A very impressive show produced by emerging artists coming out of MacEwan's new Music Theatre Performance BFA program! The harmonies are absolutely breathtaking, the composition and musical direction are strong, and the choreography was well thought out and executed extremely well. Self producing an original musical at this scale is not easy and the level of work put into this production is incredible.

The ensemble are fully committed to their characters and blend into each other well while also standing out individually, and Kohen Foley and Katie Moran as the leads have excellent chemistry together. The costumes are beautiful, and the set is simple while still evoking the charm of a small town in Ireland.

That being said, there are a couple elements of the production that detract from the whole. Because I saw it on opening night, however, I feel some things will sort themselves out once the show settles in fully.

The live band breathes life into the score, but the lack of mics combined with the (admittedly impressive) Irish accents means that the band drowns out most of the intricacies of the lyrics. When the chorus sings at full strength and matches the band's volume it is perfect, but any solo lines are near impossible to hear with any clarity. If I saw it again, I would sit closer to the stage to try and catch more of Ethan Bintu-Watt's carefully crafted lyrics.

Additionally, this is the only Fringe show I have ever been to or heard of that has an intermission. A break in the story after only 30 minutes confused both myself and people around me. I also feel that the intermission also does a disservice to the story as it's self contained enough that the audience doesn't require a break; this could absolutely stand on its own as a one-act musical. Further development could warrant a break into two acts, but at this stage it doesn't need it.

This show has enormous potential, and I would absolutely recommend seeing the show again to see this fantastic group of artists explore and discover this beautiful story night after night.