What a pleasant surprise to encounter such a tight, professional-grade production in a modest theater in the Fringe festival. The direction and acting were superb, the live band spot-on, and the vocal perforance quality only a small notch below – and this was opening night.
As for the material: having mixed feeings about Flaherty and Ahrens’ other works, I was taken aback by how touching, funny, and moving I found this musical to be. It bears some comparison to The Commitments, though the underlying theme is ultimately darker and more poignant.
Kudos to the obviously very devoted theater company behind this effort. Highly recommended overall.