Edinburgh Fringe 2025
This Side of Life
Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society
Genre: Musical Theatre, Opera and Operatic Theatre
Venue: temple at C ARTS | C venues | C aquila
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
This Side of Life is a full-blown musical, reminiscent of the Golden Age productions. It features the typical characters: a charming young couple and a couple of hustlers.
Review
This Side of Life is a full-blown musical, reminiscent of the Golden Age productions. It features the typical characters: a charming young couple and a couple of hustlers. The songs are accompanied by a very capable band that sports two violins, cello, bass guitar, clarinet, and a keyboard.
Set in New York City, Nina and Robert are dreaming of Broadway success. They will do just about anything to get on the big stage. They are young talent with high hopes and no street smarts. The plot follows their adventure as the navigate what can be a crooked world in order to achieve their goal.
The show opens with a tap routine featuring the two leads plus two others who we will come to know as con men. It is well-choreographed and entertaining. We meet Nina and Robert, who are introduced to the two cockney men claiming to be theatrical agents. The “agents” make big promises, but mostly cause money trouble. Robert is raided by the police and arrested after falling for their crocked scam. He is bailed out and proceeds to find a way back to pursuing his dream with Nina.
The young actors continue in their determination to find success. The old-style tunes move the story forward. Both lead actors are excellent singers. The songs vary from up tempo, including more tap routines, to a sweet love ballad, “I’ll Settle for You”. There is an emotional piece about pulling through the hardships. The finale of “Someday Maybe” reinforces the hope that the characters have of success. The songs aren’t particularly memorable but they advance the story and are well-paced.
The audience experiences the struggle that the actors have in reaching their Broadway goal while keeping their relationship intact.
With simple but effective costuming, the show has the look of an old-style Broadway show. The script is clever but the pacing could be quicker. The chemistry between the main characters could be stronger. However, it is an enjoyable experience to watch young people blossom at their craft and a fun show to see.
The show is produced by Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society, which has been the source of many great shows that have graced the Edinburgh Fringe stages. The Society exists to enable high quality musical theatre to be staged in Cambridge and to allow its members opportunities to hone their skills, be it as a performer, musician, techie or production team member.
