A Girl MissRed

“A Girl MissRed”
Although I have been associated with the Arts for 50 years, I had never been to the Edinburgh International Festival before, or its massive Fringe event. But in my twilight years I wanted to catch the atmosphere of the world’s biggest Arts Festival and particularly to see the opening performances of “A Girl MissRed”: a new musical, written and directed by Bath based Mel Lawman. So I made the long and rather tiring trip up to the Scottish capital from England’s south coast.
And boy: was I pleased that I made that effort! Despite being staged in a typically basic Fringe box space with a minimal set, this show is fantastic and certainly merits future performances by secondary schools, am-dram groups and even by regional professional theatres. If this should happen near you then grab the opportunity to see it for yourself.
“A Girl MissRed” featured seven adults and seven children. I am not going to pick out names of the grown-ups, because this would only be a disservice to those I have omitted. All the adults give top quality performances and it is difficult to believe that these are not professional actors.
But as if to prove the old theatrical cliché of never act with animals or children, it is to the children that one was inevitably drawn. And quite simply, these kids were terrific! Aged around 11 or 12, they had clearly not been plucked off the streets, but had been well trained in dance and theatre from an early age and it showed with their wonderfully slick routines. But it was their joie de vivre and sheer enthusiasm for what they were doing that really radiated throughout the show – and it was infectious.
The plot is set in the !930’s and centres around Fran, a young academically gifted girl who has grown up in the “care” system and whose boisterous personality and lively imagination has given her the reputation of being hard to handle: resulting in her being moved from home to home. Finding herself in a small Devon seaside school, she is treated with suspicion by her new schoolmates. But she is befriended by Arturo, a half-Italian boy who had been sent from Italy to stay with an English aunt, to escape from Mussolini’s fascist regime there. But Arturo is also picked on by others in the school, because he is “different” to them.
This growing rapport between two misfits provides the most touching elements of the story and both Sasha Jennings and Frederick Spedo Mirandola brought a pathos and empathy to their roles which was astonishing for actors of their young age. I thought that a little more could have been made of this chemistry, which is still so relevant today.
I confess that I was a little confused by the storyline at times, but heck, who cares? You do not go to a musical or opera for the storyline. You go to be entertained by great dancing and wonderfully catchy tunes and “A Girl MissRed” has those by the bucketful.
I am still visualising the tap dancing and humming those songs almost a week later and that is the mark of a truly successful show.

Roger Townsend
Founder and past Chairman of Salisbury Festival
Founder and past Chair of Salisbury Arts Centre
Past Board Director of Salisbury Playhouse

A lovely show, with Annie meets Matilda vibes

The cast of kids were fantastic and there are adults in other shows playing at the fringe that could learn from them!

Endearing little production with wonderful catchy tunes and music. The stars of this show are definitely the children especially the lead ‘Fran’. Performances were flawless and the amount of hard work and effort given by all evident. Well done to all and I’d definitely rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The musical, A Girl MissRed, fizzes with bravado from the opening bar of the music to the final chord. Sasha Jennings plays Fran Ethel Red, a hard to place girl in care. Is Fran a troubled child or a troublesome child? Set in the 1930s, the musical explores Fran's dilemma as 'the adults' try and find the right school and home environment that will turn her into a well behaved child. Fran is exuberant and excited by the world around her, especially the sea, but lonely and in behavioural terms unpredictable. She doesn't fit in and she is often left out.
The ensemble cast of children and adults are terrific - strong performances all round. With beautiful songs and inventive choreography, there is never a dull moment.
In addition to professional productions, I can imagine this musical being used by schools, drama groups and colleges.

I went with my two boys (8 and 10) and my mum and dad (80 and 81) and they all loved it. The songs and dances keep coming and the singing is brilliant, from the children and adults. There are some really stand out numbers and we massively recommend if you love a musical. They really pack in the dances too. A great way to spend an afternoon hour at the fringe.