Edinburgh Fringe 2025
MASSAOKE: Sing The Musicals
Massaoke Ltd
Venue: Udderbelly at Underbelly, George Square
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Sing the Musicals is a fully immersive group singing experience, led by five very talented musicians. With lyrics on screen, the audience joins in their favourite songs from Broadway and film.
Review
Everyone has a voice. Whether they sing in the shower or sing on stage, singing is the most basic form of expression. We’ve been singing to communicate since the caveman days. And in the last few years, singing together has exponentially risen in popularity, with worldwide growth of choirs and the success in Canada of “Choir Choir Choir” shows that attract tens of thousands of people to group singalongs.
Sing the Musicals fills that need for people to lift up their voices and be part of the collective joy. And musicals are a great vehicle for crossing demographics. Whether you grew up singing “Do Re Mi” from the “Sound of Music” or you are defying gravity with “Wicked”, these tunes strike a chord with kids, teens, millennials, baby boomers and more. Add the on-stage spectacle of Sing the Musicals, and you have a thoroughly entertaining hour that will leave you uplifted – and with earworms!
A quintet of extremely talented musicians leads the extravaganza. The Ringmaster is Josh Taylor, who plays keyboard, banjolele, vocals. He is magnetic with the audience. He takes on a character reminiscent of Hugh Jackman in “The Greatest Show on Earth”. Nicholette Chew is costumed as a Princess. She is the cheerleader and the conductor, rallying the audience to sing with fervor. Her keyboard playing and vocals are top notch. Laurence Owen is dressed as a Founding Father, like in Hamilton. He is a great singer and spectacular guitarist who thrills the audience with his solos. Bassist/vocalist Io Kaloudi is dressed as a Chicago flapper, perfect for the routine from the hit Broadway show Chicago. Drummer/vocalist Ben Cullingworth as a French Revolutionary is a solid player who drives the energy of the show. Together they create theatre magic. It is the cast that sets this singalong apart from any other karaoke or group vocal experience. They truly make each one of the musicals come alive, transporting you to the set of each of the famous productions.
The program is one hit after another. The show covers Broadway musicals from early days like “Singing in the Rain” to the most recent, like “Frozen” and “Hamilton”. The words to the songs are on a big screen in big print so that everyone can sing along. Enhancing the words are film and video clips from each musical. We see the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” scenes on screen as the Ringmaster instructs everyone to “jump to the left, then a step to the right, put your hands on your hips, bring your knees in tight” for the Time Warp. We go to Oz while singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow, which concludes with a rainbow flag across the stage (nice touch). We are all Dancing Queens with Abba and revolutionaries who are Not Throwing Away My Shot with Hamilton.
This is a completely inclusive and immersive experience. From the youngest kids to seniors, everyone is singing at the top of their lungs and often dancing. Singing is more than mere entertainment. It serves as a powerful form of self-expression, enabling individuals to convey emotions that words alone often cannot. Through singing, people communicate their deepest feelings, whether joy, sorrow, love, or nostalgia. The act of singing often resonates emotionally, creating a shared experience.
Group singing, whether in choirs, at concerts, or informal gatherings, helps build connections between individuals. Fringe audiences are from all over the world, but this show transcends backgrounds and cultures, and creates bonds through the shared musical experience. I didn’t know any of the people around me, yet we instantly bonded as a pop up choir.
From the producers: “In an era of video calls, working from home and social media where algorithms try to polarise and divide us, it’s especially powerful to gather and sing together. It reminds us of how much we have in common, how strong we feel when we are united in harmony and how much we need each other.”
With the crowds and frenetic energy in Edinburgh. Sing the Musicals is a perfect escape where you can take a deep breath – literally – to let out the stress and hustle and bustle of what is outside the theatre.
Sing The Musicals is a perfect prescription for whatever ails you, whether it is the problems of the world or just sore feet from walking around Edinburgh. Just sit back and take in the warmth in the joy of the communal singing as the very talented cast takes you away to a happy place. Highly recommended.
