EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CHRISSIE & THE SKIDDLE WITCH: A CLIMATE CHANGE MUSICAL, Greenside @ Riddle's Court

Geologise Theatre brings its environment-focussed musical to the Edinburgh Fringe. Written by Roberta Wilkinson and Matthew Kemp, the show is inspired by conversations with climate researchers and boasts a second-hand set, props and costumes, harmonised with hues of blues and yellows against a painted backdrop of a coastline.

Chrissie (played by Wilkinson) is 13 years old and lives in the fictional town of Skiddle, where you can see an offshore wind farm to your left and an oil rig to your right. While working on a petition for her MP, she is conflicted by her dad’s role in the oil and gas sector, and what the scientists say about stopping all new oil extraction to reduce the impacts of climate change.

After a major storm, Chrissie is sent by her school teacher to offer help in the community and finds herself face-to-face with the so-called “Skiddle Witch”. Chrissie goes on to discover more about the wider world and her own immediate sphere than she’d have ever expected.

Wilkinson and Kemp juggle the characters nicely between them, with Kemp accompanying the pair on piano as they sing through the lively all-age friendly songs, that err ever-so-slightly on the repetitive side. This reviewer left the venue humming the recurring theme about “1.5 degrees” and a rap about the ocean was a particular highlight.

A particularly nice touch by the company includes the opportunity to meet with climate scientists after the show to “chat climate change” with interactive activities in tow. Audiences can learn more about the Albedo Effect – a way of measuring how well a particular material can reflect sunlight – among other factoids.

The show very much does what it says on the tin as a climate change musical and is pitched for a family audience. It sets the global climate crisis through a suitable local lens to avoid doom and gloom, and to engage its audience, but this reviewer wonders if the very unsubtle subtitle will only attract audiences already committed to the cause.

That said, the story is sure to reassure concerned young audiences that everyone has their part to play in the climate crisis movement, and this public engagement effort has to be applauded.

Chrissie and the Skiddle Witch: A Climate Change Musical at Greenside @ Riddle’s Court until 19 Aug

Artwork: Cecily Church

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