“Everybody’s getting married”. That’s the opening line of “No Limits” about a group of 20-somethings who are worried that their lives aren’t where they are supposed to be or that they don’t have enough purpose. Everywhere they look people are ‘further ahead’ – getting married, having babies, being promoted or moving away, and they feel they are falling behind, struggling to become an adult. However, they continue fumbling through life, as we all do, learning to embrace it as it is.
The musical is a collection of songs held together by the connection the characters have to each other with a limited narrative, which somehow works well in the context. The early lyrics suggest it’s going to be more hard hitting than it is and while there are some deeper heartfelt songs it tends to stay more cheerful (this is an observation and not a criticism) and has a strong positive message. While they could have taken it a lot further with some of the lyrics it’s a pleasant easy going musical that keeps you entertained. We didn’t want it to end and with more narrative we could easily see this being expanded to a 2 act musical.
The music is classic musical theatre, heading towards pop at times, and captures your attention immediately with some catchy tunes, ably performed with just a keyboard and percussion, that you’ll leave the theatre humming. There are some poignant solo moments, notably in an early highlight by Emily Carter, and later in a particularly moving song about breaking up but the music is at it’s best with the upbeat group numbers. This may have been impacted by the music being too loud in the quieter solos which overpowered the voices.
The cast were energetic and engaging. There were some parts where the vocalists struggled however they came into their own in the group numbers where they produced some beautiful harmonies. We were particularly impressed with Keisha Mowchenko who had wonderful vocals and is a captivating actor. However, we felt they were let down by Tim Roberts who looked more like he was in a rehearsal, lacking the engagement and commitment shown by the rest of the cast.
The choreography of the show was excellent and the cast appeared to really relish performing it, particularly during the “Kinky” song. It was a simple set with just four seats that were used innovatively and there was some well though out blocking. Because of this simple set, as with a lot of fringe theatre where you don’t have the ‘theatrics’ of the west end, you rely solely on the actors to keep the audience engaged which they did throughout.
Sam Thomas has created an enjoyable musical which, combined with a captivating and passionate cast, is a winning combination. We give this 4 Laura Michelle-Kelly stars.
You only have the weekend left to see this. Grab tickets here: https://www.camdenfringe.com/show.php?acts_id=2582
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