May & Alia do Pirates!

May & Alia do Pirates!, and part of the Fringe Festival. It was unlikely to be long or boring, so I trotted along and found it most entertaining. May and Alia burst onto stage and held their pirates pose while they ascertained that they were alone. They’d forgotten to text the rest of the cast of Pirates to remind them they had a show.

So they decided to continue without them. I remember a similar concept being used in the show Hats some decades ago.

But they did it well. All the male parts were sung in the original keys and the females an octave down, so some vocals ended up a bit low. Different characters were displayed using hats, wigs and jackets and the highlight was the paradox trio, where they had to constantly change hats and wigs to alternate between the three characters.

Competitive elements between the two also added to the comic effect, particularly as they raced to complete the Major-General’s Song. Of course the tape machine jammed so they had to “coerce” a couple of members from the audience to play keyboard and guitar.

The PA was a bit loud and the mikes cut out occasionally. I think in that venue they could have dispensed with them. However, the infectious energy and comic timing of the protagonists carried the day.

Not to be missed by G&S fans and anyone wanting an enjoyable night out.

Graham Ford.