Review by Steve Bennett

Let’s start this review by saying the suggestions put forward for this performance of the improv musical were absolutely impeccable.

That’s because this was a special critic’s matinee show from perennial Fringe favourites The Showstoppers, based on an idea first devised by the Zeus of improv, the late Ken Campbell. His idea was that a journalist would write a review of a fictional show, then read it to an unsuspecting cast, who’d then have to perform it.

So this was my turn, and the task I set was A Force Of Nature: The Isaac Newton Musical. The review of that fictional show is below. A review within a review of the show within the show…

‘Who would have thought the life story of the godfather of physics would make for a musical that is as entertaining as it is 100 per cent accurate in every historical and scientific detail. Isaac Newton’s colourful life and intellectual genius are captured perfectly in this foot-stomping romp, from a childhood blighted by bullies right through to his later obsession with alchemy, which induced madness, and ultimately death through mercury poisoning – which this team makes remarkably jaunty with their ragtime number.

Over his life’s story, the cast deliver such memorable songs as as the Calculus Calypso, the Royal Mint rap and the very physical demonstration of his laws of motions - an energetic number that, ironically, seems to defy gravity. Talking of which, making the falling apple which inspired the theory into a human-like character, Granny Smith, with the voice of Eartha Kitt was simply inspired. There is poignancy, too, for the man who discovered a law of constant attraction, would never find love - a plight mourned in a plaintive ballad that seemed to channel The Smiths.

For every action here, there is an equal and opposite reaction: Joy.

And that’s exactly what the troupe of six performers, three musicians and MC Dylan Emery performed… and then some, with a few extra contributions from the audience. The ragtime closer, for instance, was prefaced by a Wagnerian epic – a gear change rarely seen in musical theatre – a new scene of the Great Fire Of London was re-enacted as a lead-in to that Calculus Calypso, and Newton was given a forlorn love interest in the guise of Ruth Bratt’s Esmeralda, hilariously played a brassy Northern lass.

Andrew Pugsley got to play Newton as a nerdy geek in Harry Potter, as he was the only one with the slightest clue about science, while Pippa Evans’s Granny Smith, who became something of a spirit guide, was even more grotesque than I’d imagined.

But it’s not so much about individual performances, but an incredible display of teamwork. The quality of the foot-stomping tracks incredible, even without considering the singers and the band are building them on the fly, seemingly by some telepathic magic. The ‘action/reaction’ refrain could surely make its way into any real musical about Newton’s life.

Songs are belted out and dances are as energetic as I’d challenged them to be; this is a full-on production. Yet it’s not just a virtuous display of technical brilliance; great jokes emerge naturally, and even within the confines of rhyming structure. To think these gags and these songs will never be heard again is incredible.

Four stars, and since it’s Newton, seven planets, and 48 comets, too.

Review date: 15 Aug 2014
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett