EDINBURGH FESTIVAL 2009 - REVIEW: OVER THE THRESHOLD, George Square 2, August 13

Over The Threshold, a new musical with book, music and lyrics by Christopher Hamilton currently on stage at George Square 2 at the Edinburgh Fringe, opens with a beautiful swell of sound from the vocals of its four-character cast that thrills the ears of its audience. What follows is a musicalized story that centres on a couple (Tom and Kate) whose relationship is becoming strained and a series of misunderstandings concerning neighbour Sam and the seductively charming Charlie - and the interaction between them that almost turns their lives upside down during the course of one night.

Unfortunately the show is something of a curate's egg of a musical. There are moments of genuine wit combined with a hint of originality and a couple of gems of songs that produce some really special moments. But overall the plot is highly contrived and revealed through trite dialogue  and lyrics that telegraph their highly forced rhymes, while the highly sentimental music is like coffee with an overload of cream.

The show is saved by John Brant's clever and inventive direction and by a quartet of stellar performances from Madalena Alberto (Sam), Kieran Brown (Tom), Helen French (Kate) and Trevor Jary (Charlie), all of whom rise above the relative mediocrity of the material. The stunning vocals of the cast - together with the few moments of pure magic that appear sporadically during the show - turn the production into an enjoyable experience. But one can't help thinking that there should have been far more moments of magic after the show's quite brilliant opening. 

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