Edinburgh Fringe 2023
The Little Iceberg Musical
Siobhan Argyle
Genre: Family, Musical Stories
Venue: theSpace @ Symposium Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
This show is a perfect day out for kids from age two to seven- and grandparents. The children are enchanted by the characters, songs, and movement and the adults are fully entertained by excellent songwriting and production values.
Review
The Little Iceberg is fully sung musical based on a children’s book written by Nicky Murray, a headteacher from Dundee. It is the story of an iceberg who is cast adrift from her ice shelf. She becomes colder and harder, pushing everyone away, until a little bird comes along and helps her thaw.
In the words of the author, “It’s about how children cope with the concept of grief and loss. How do they learn how to trust? How do they learn about the importance of friendship and kindness?”
The tone is set with the song “Tell Me a Story”, setting up the tale of friendship where love finds a way and brings hearts together. The story begins with the iceberg expressing feelings of loneliness because she has no friends. She rejects the boats attempting to come close. A tiny bird floats over the water and engages the iceberg. Then – drama. The ice cracks. The bird leaves to find her courage as the iceberg is angrily left alone. The bird returns with strategies to help. She stays with her friend during the lightening and thunder of a storm. The iceberg eventually returns to her home in the sea and to a rainbow.
The show is a story about trust chasing away fear, hope finding a way to weather a storm, and love conquering fear. It is a gentle lesson for the children that makes your heart smile and can bring you to tears.
The songwriting is clever and the tunes are catchy. The songs advance the story effectively, with various themes like “breathe”, “compassion”, and “courage”. The pieces are well-paced, from solo to small group to full ensemble. They are just the right combination of child-friendly and adult ear-pleasing.
The set design is very clever. There are large moveable wooden cutouts of icebergs and boats, making it possible for the actors to quickly chance the scenery. A brown and gold treasure chest in the middle of the stage holds the props. A ladder stage right gives height and dimension to the setting. The bird is on a long pole which facilitates him flying and dancing around the stage and over the audience. Costuming is very simple. The iceberg is dressed in everyday clothing but with a small iceberg on her head. Day and night are delineated with lighting cues and cutouts of the sun and moon.
The musical was written and composed by Siobhan Argyle from Glasgow. Argyle is Education Manager at tigers, which creates opportunities for young people who have become disengaged with school or college. The story ties in with her own trauma-informed work in education, helping young people self-regulate their emotions. The Times Education Supplement honoured her as one of the People of the Year 2020, the prestigious annual list of influential figures and leading lights in the Scottish education sector.
The Director is Steve Russell from the Glasgow Acting Academy. The performers are some of their very talented graduates: Amy Brennan Clark, Hollie Thornton, Kieran Devine, Millie Sweeney as the Iceberg, and Samantha Baird as the bird. Each one is a strong singer and really brings their character to life not only in the dialogue but also in the effective stage choreography and facial expressions. Although the show is performed by young actors, they are equal in calibre to the professionals at the Fringe. Frankie Larkin and Fiona Larkin created the set and lighting design.
This show is a perfect day out for kids from age two to seven- and grandparents. The children are enchanted by the characters, songs, and movement. The adults are fully entertained by excellent songwriting and production values.
