Edinburgh 2022: Review: FANTASTICALLY GREAT WOMEN WHO CHANGED THE WORLD, Pleasance Courtyard

 

 

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is a new musical based on the book of the same name by Kate Pankhurst and adapted by Chris Bush with music by Chris Bush and Miranda Cooper and lyrics by Jennifer Decilveo and Miranda Cooper.

Jade (Kudzai Mangombe) is a schoolgirl on an organised trip to a museum when she finds herself separated from the rest of the group. Jade wanders into 'the gallery of greatness' and meets characters from the portraits and learns about their lives.

First up is Amelia Earheart who tells Jade about all of the things she achieved. We also hear from Freida Khalo, Marie Curie, Anne Frank and Emmeline Pankhurst among others. The book the musical is based on is aimed at children under ten so there isn't a huge amount of new information for older audiences although there are still some fun facts that aren't as widely known.

The stories are inspirational but some of the delivery can be a little over-the-top cheesy, like a teacher trying too hard to make a lesson fun.

The songs are incredibly catchy and fun and are bound to stick in your head long after leaving the theatre. It's not perfect, but Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is an upbeat musical that will appeal to younger audiences.

 

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