Directed by Andy Johnston and Louise Hunter

Musical Direction by Andrew Thomson and Maddy Brown

Dance Direction by Louise Williamson and Jemma Crawford

Review by Dominic Corr

Tickets from £22.50

Fancy a night with some of the greatest musical theatre hits of all time? What if there’s some dancing, a bit of comedy (okay, a lot of it) and some classic pop renditions? And they’ll throw in a trip to the zoo, a few nightclubs, and even a jaunt Under The Sea? All of this and more is for the taking, and The Edinburgh Gang Show is back – still at its temporary home at The Festival Theatre, wowing audiences and spreading communal cheer until the 2nd of November.

Bursting at the seems with panache and a passion for providing entertainment and a platform for future talents, over 250 Guides Brownies, Cubs, and plenty of Scouts take to the stage in a crowd-pleasing showcase which brings smiles and excitement to friends, family, and the occasional onlooker drawn in by the cheers and neckerchiefs. Principally written with Andy Johnston, directed with Louise Hunter, there’s something for the entire family on offer with a mixture of new tricks, plenty of old favourites, and of course, a return to the Zoo.

But first, in a delightful spin from Johnston, is a sourer note with We’re Fed Up, which gets the whole audience’s blood boiling at all those little annoyances and grievances we have with our tremendous city (though there’s a few things I’d happily add into a redraft…). It sets the tone, a Gang Show with a bit more bite to it, and still plenty of that one thing it showcases best; talent. It’s a vigorous entryway routine which paths the way for what many would have been expecting: a showstopper. Full of dancing, colour, and song, Molly Haddow and Joey Breeze give it their all with That’s The Way They Do It.

Giving villainy a great name, Lara Brechin’s time as mastermind consulting criminal Moriarty comes complete with running gags and a spiffing music number, which launches the show’s first real solo – a gorgeous performance of Bulletproof, fitting for the character and brings the energy up a few notches. Not to be outdone, however, Boyton and McGauley shed off the dry humour and humour for a showstopper of a number; A Friend Like Me, from Disney’s Aladdin. Spirited and ending the successful ‘Deadly Encounter’ sequence, it’s a cracking mid-opener that gets the humour, the song choices, and the pacing just right.

Enough movement to displace an older performer hip, the Junior Gang got their moment to shine (quite rightly) with a performance of the one-time viral Miley Cyrus number, Hoedown Showdown (some of us still remember the moves), before giving the stage over to Lewis Boyd’s closing performance with the entire gang, a medley of musical numbers from All Shook Up in a leg swinging Elvis tribute, complete with joshing with the crowd. After this hip-swaying lead into the Act One closer, the remainder of the showcase leans more into the ‘buzz’ words of Rhythm or Louder, with terrific ensemble numbers becoming the focus and structure, much to the gang’s favour.

Opening with a touching tribute to Mike Grainger, Act Two kicks things off with a charmingly adapted Billy Elliot score, transformed into the Entr’acte to welcome us all back into the space for a second act full of ensemble numbers and some big movement pieces. There’s additional flex of genre and technique as ballet joins the ranks of Louise Williamson and Jemma Crawford’s dance direction and choreography, with the ensemble troupes rising to the occasion with Louder for a particularly memorable sequence led by Aimee Jacobs, Tata Boyton, and Aonghas Hunter, who bring Jonathan Larson’s smash-hit Tick Tick! Boom to more audiences. And it’s largely thanks to Maddy Baron’s twelve-strong band that they achieve these hits from the movies or stage, leading us right into Alfie Woods & Lottie Steel’s finale of May The Sun Shine On You. A veritable medley of top-notch tunes is on offer, and the band sounds as good as ever, though occasionally are let down by the show’s reliance on some pre-recorded songs and projection work – using a screen more often than in the past.

There’s a charge in the air through this year’s Gang Show, something which feels slightly different to the usually traditional, even outdated (perish the thought), vibe that the usual celebration offers. It feels much more like the team is shifting posts into something of the future while maintaining the strict respect and care for the stalwarts and legacy which has brought them through these sixty years of music, song, dance, and communal hard work. Here’s hoping, that before too long, we can do this all over again back home in The King’s Theatre.

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