Tell Me The Truth About Love[author-post-rating] (3/5 Stars)

2013 marks the centenary of Benjamin Britten’s birth. To commemorate his life and works, Aldeburgh Music has commissioned current musicians to compose in his style; Conor Mitchell has worked with acclaimed playwright Mark Ravenhill to create a series of songs in the style of Britten’s collaborations with poet W. H. Auden. These can now be seen in musical cabaret show Tell Me the Truth About Love.

All the show’s songs are a mixture of original Britten/Auden, poems of Auden’s newly set to music by Mitchell, and the original Mitchell/Ravenhill collaborations in that style. Jamie McDermott of The Irrepressibles sings accompanied by Peter Foggitt on the piano, and though they make reference to their respective Auden-Britten roles, speaker and pianist, this is in no sense officially defined. In spite of the involvement of a well-known playwright, this isn’t a theatrical performance, and though McDermott often performs in a recognisably early-twentieth century fashion and both are properly costumed, neither remain in any kind of character between songs.

Foggitt sometimes uses the breaks to address the audience, discussing the position of the songs in Auden and Britten’s relationship, lives or work. These asides are fascinating and the show could use a little more of this background information to hang the musical performances off, as their genesis is even more fascinating than the songs themselves. It would also be interesting, for instance, to hear about Mitchell and Ravenhill’s process or inspiration, but nothing is said to distinguish these songs from the originals.

The set is eclectic, jumping from the oddity of ‘Jam Tart’ (“I’m a jam tart, I’m a bargain basement, / I’m a work of art, I’m a magic casement…” – who says late Auden isn’t as oblique as early Auden?), to the intensity of ‘After Sappho’ in seconds. McDermott copes well with the changes of pace and tone, and pitches his vocal performance somewhere between Noel Coward and Antony and the Johnsons, depending on how serious or unserious the song is. He’s also full of energy, bounding into the audience and wandering about, which is quite funny, in contrast with his rather serious 1940s well-cut suit.

Still, it’s an enjoyable way to spend an hour, but without any discussion of the new songs, they feel a little lumped in. Ravenhill has directed quite ably, but it might be better to see him on stage: without this background information or any sense of scholarly interest, Tell Me the Truth About Love feels like just a cabaret show. It’s done well enough, but it could be so much more.

Tell Me the Truth About Love can be seen at 19.00 at Underbelly Topside, every day until 26th August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.