Is the Earth flat? It’s one of those conspiracy theories that seems to have been around forever. And now, somehow, it’s the inspiration for the brand-new musical The Shocking Truth About Flat Earth, premiering at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. As you can probably imagine, the result is playful, absurd and very silly.
This brand-new original musical follows Sharon Hargreaves (Emma Norman), a proud flat-Earth believer who knows it must be true because she saw it on Facebook! Sharon heads to the bright lights of Las Vegas for the latest Flat Earth convention, but a case of mistaken identity sends her on an unexpected adventure. As she sets out to uncover the truth, Sharon discovers that the world might not be quite as she thought.
The cast really sells the show, and comic timing is crucial for a musical like this, especially with the endless stream of jokes and ridiculous moments. The cast of five manage to hold the audience’s attention throughout. Emma Thornett as Debs, Sharon’s sidekick, gets the brunt of the comedy and executes it brilliantly, closely followed by Tom Dickerson, who is a joy to watch in every moment he’s on stage.
The production is also very self-aware about the limitations of the Fringe, poking fun at the fact that they have to cram the whole story into just 65 minutes. If anything, that’s one of the show’s few weaknesses. There’s so much packed into the running time that it can feel a little rushed at times. With a longer running time, there’s definitely potential for the story and characters to develop a little more. There’s even a clever reference to the longer West End version, with one character joking about being able to explain something in more detail in the two-act show.
It would be easy to dismiss this show as nothing more than a bit of harmless fun because of its ridiculous title and premise. However, there’s actually more meaning beneath the surface than you might expect. The show touches on themes of grief and identity. Perhaps these aren’t explored as deeply as they could be, again partly due to the running time, but they add an unexpected emotional layer to what is otherwise a very playful and comedic production.
The pop songs, written and composed by Alexander Moneypenny and Adam Tuffrey, are catchy throughout, but the highlight has to be ‘Doubters to Believers.’ Audience members were even singing it on the way out, complete with the simple choreography. Thornett also gets a great laugh when she breaks the fourth wall with a playful joke about only having one solo. There are also one or two references to other musicals that are sure to delight musical theatre fans.
The Shocking Truth About Flat Earth surely has more life in it. With a few more developmental runs there’s plenty of potential for the show to become even more rounded. For now, though, this is a fun and surprisingly heartfelt Fringe musical that proves there’s much more to it than its initial premise. This show is anything but flat!
★★★★
Gifted ticket in exchange for an honest review.