Edinburgh Fringe 2025
No More Bull
Nicholsons Upstage
Genre: Musical Theatre, New Writing
Venue: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
An interesting reimagining of the myth of the Minotaur, exploring the complex dynamics of power, resistance and political autonomy. Featuring an interesting mix of musical genre and impressive physical theatre, it hints at the dangers of power and hero worship within our rapidly evolving geopolitical culture.
Review
“No more bull”. That’s a philosophy well worth fighting for in the current geopolitical climate where truth is increasingly taking a back seat as the 21st century hurtles from crisis to crisis. No More Bull, Nicholsons Upstage’s innovative musical, reworks the myth of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, creating a modern day feel that is worryingly apposite yet remains entirely faithful to the original myth.
For those of you out there needing a reminder of said myth (full disclosure, that included your reviewer), it tells the story of Theseus, a Greek hero who slays the Minotaur, a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man.
The Minotaur was the offspring of King Minos’ wife, Pasiphae and was a monstrous creature, half-man, half-bull, kept confined in the Labyrinth, a complex maze constructed beneath the King’s palace in Knossos. Its intricate design made it nearly impossible to escape.
As punishment for the death of his son Androgeos, King Minos demanded that Athens send seven young men and seven young women every nine years to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. Theseus, an Athenian sent for sacrifice, volunteers to face down the Minotaur. King Minos’ daughter, Ariadne, falls in love with Theseus and helps him by giving him a ball of thread to unwind as he enters the Labyrinth, allowing him to retrace his steps. Theseus, guided by the thread, navigates the Labyrinth, confronts the Minotaur, and kills it. He then follows the thread back to the entrance, escaping with Ariadne and the other Athenians.
Musical theatre is a fiendishly difficult genre to pull off, involving acting, singing and moving, normally all at the same time. Try it if you don’t believe me. So hats off to Nicholsons Upstage for a highly commendable production that achieved the unusual combination of both entertaining and educating, well in my case at least.
With original music and a descriptive set of lyrics, the show flows along seamlessly, largely due to its tight direction and slick choreography. Plus some really impressive snatches of physical theatre and rather spectacular stage fights. Memo to self, don’t cross that Ariadne dame, she packs a mighty punch.
Most followers of musical theatre will accept that songs tend to follow a familiar format, operate off a few simple chords, with harmonies that showcase a range of voices. This one is no different and the cast, with one or two notable exceptions, is strongest when singing as an ensemble or subsets thereof.
So a shout out to Ariadne (the very talented Emily Goovaerts), who stood out like a beacon in the proverbial blackout with her powerful, mellifluous voice resonating around a venue that is not particularly well suited to solo singing, in addition to which she displayed a commanding stage presence. Credit also to the charismatic Tom Louis for his portrayal of Lagoras in what was a striking vignette peppered with superb comic timing, extracting every nuance from lines laced with dark humour.
There were many other things to admire too. The staging of Theseus slaying the Minotaur in the maze was inventively spectacular as were scenes depicting several of the familial confrontations that proliferated what was a high energy piece of theatre.
One or two minor tweaks might help; the volume of the backing track in the opening ensemble was apt to drown moments when there was just a soloist involved and a couple of singers tended to drift slightly off key at the top end of their respective ranges.
But my real rant is not with anyone at this splendid theatre company but at those in the audience (and there were many, many of them) who thought it was quite the thing to watch most of the performance through the viewfinder of their smartphone. FFS (and please excuse the mnemonic), live theatre is there to be watched. LIVE! Is it that difficult to give your undivided attention to those on the stage busting a gut to please you? Aargghhh!
Rant over! This comes as a solid, recommended piece of musical theatre – good lyrics and music, excellent singing, polished direction and execution thereof and an ensemble who were clearly enjoying the process of creating something unique. And every live performance is unique, even if some were too distracted to notice.
