Book of Blakewell

[author-post-rating] (2/5 stars)

Harry Blake and Alice Keedwell have combined both their surnames and their musical talents to create Book of Blakewell, a show comprising a series of songs, sung by Keedwell, with music, lyrics and piano accompaniment by Blake. They’re a pleasant pair to spend an hour with, but the distinctly uninspiring showcase format of Book of Blakewell is a little hard to stay on board with.

Keedwell is a very talented singer with an impressive, rather operatic voice, though the pace of some of Blake’s faster songs occasionally risks leaving her behind. Still, she makes up for any stumbles with sheer gusto and is a natural performer: her expressive delivery is frequently more entertaining than the songs themselves. There’s also some nice chemistry between the two performers, with a subtle interplay based more on glance and gesture than spoken word. In contrast to her all-singing, all-dancing persona, his is rather dry, unexpressive and a little cynical, and he can speak volumes with just a look.

The pair attempts to create some narrative drive by having a faux-falling out and reconciliation, but this is really just an aside. There’s little happening here except the series of largely unconnected songs, utilising a variety of genres, from music hall to 80s synth, and tackling a range of themes. Some work better than others, and very few seem funny enough to justify Blakewell’s own description of their act as musical comedy. Parodies of Hackney hipsters and jokes about how bigoted the Daily Mail is are beginning to feel just a little obvious and over-done these days, and their extended rap about Education Secretary Michael Gove must be one of the most excruciatingly uncomfortable things you can see at the Fringe this year.

Keedwell’s acting talent and Blake’s reams of catchy, slightly familiar-sounding tunes mean that the pair would probably be capable of knocking up a pretty entertaining musical. It’s a shame that they have made Book of Blakewell instead, which showcases their talents but not their potential. In the end, you come away feeling a little bit like you’ve just spent 50 minutes watching a showcase of the most forgettable numbers from musicals you haven’t seen. There’s no big song here to come away humming, probably because there’s no natural climax – and though their Harry and Alice characters are likeable, they’re not really exciting enough to keep you from wishing there was something more to cling on to.

Book of Blakewell can be seen at the Underbelly Cowgate at 15.30 every day until 25 August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website. Photography by Richard Davenport.