Winging It

There is a lot to work with here. With a longer time slot and microphones this could no doubt sell out theatres for a teenage audience and parents of university age children. The score is strong and the performances from the main four characters are nothing short of passionate and fresh. For a 19 year olds professional debut this is spectacular, 4/5.

I think the extremely positive reviews threw off my expectations on this. 4 teenagers massively angst about submitting their university applications. And also have different degrees of terrible home lives. But it's trying to do too much for you to care about all these people and their many problems in such a short show.

Also, it's yet another musical which isn't using mics and the music is too loud, which seems to be a big theme this year!

Winging It, I can assure you is a must-see show at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

As someone who was part of the audition process for this show, I first have to commend the writer Lydia who is someone who I loved working on material with. She is such a talent, and that is immediately portrayed through the thought-provoking and relatable musical she has written.

Prior to attending previews of this show in Leeds, I was sceptical whether I would enjoy the show as I am not a huge follower of shows in which inspired the music of Winging It (Dear Evan Hansen, Amélie etc.) however, once it got going I fell in love. A song that sticks in my head is “I Remember The Sky” performed by the character Sharon. This is no less than a memorable song that I can see being as big as the likes of “Defying Gravity” from Wicked and the title song from Mamma Mia. It’ll certainly be going on my musical theatre playlist when the cast recording releases! My one gripe is that the songs were performed with an American twang, and if they had been performed in the actors’ own accents, could have been a lot more raw and relatable.

There were many standout performances in this production. Charlie Frampton who played the bubbly and exciting character of Mila really wowed me with both her singing and acting abilities. She is the performer that stuck in my head after watching the show, and Mila very quickly became my favourite character in Winging It. And that is thanks to Charlie’s portrayal, of whom I think will go a long way in the industry.

Damien Smith who played the character of Nic was also a huge standout performer for me. As a queer non-binary person, to see representation from our community in a cast is fantastic for me. In addition, I related to Nic’s struggles with his family and I’ll admit, I sobbed at his number surrounding his and his brother’s relationship.

A third performer that really impressed me was Libby Pratt who played the character of Sharon, of whom is suffering from severe mental health conditions. Her portrayal was captivating and really put across to the audience her heartbreaking background and it climaxed in the wonderful number “I Remember The Sky”. Nothing short of beautiful.

Overall, Winging It is a fantastic show and a must-see during it’s Edinburgh Fringe run. It’s relatable, funny yet heartbreaking, and a show I can see taking off majorly.

I saw this show today and i’ll apologise for how much i’m about to write because truthfully there’s so much to say:

Coming into this show, knowing how hard the cast and writer and crew worked meant it held high expectations in my head even subconsciously.

Saying that, i can not even begin to explain how fantastic it was, the depth of each character, the way they move and build themselves through the show was moving and felt so personal yet so well characterised.

I’m 21, but throughout 16, 17, 18 i saw myself in these characters, it was honestly one of the most accurate portrayals i’ve ever seen of what it’s like in this world with the odds stacked against you.

Alex, played by Amelia had both me and my partner sobbing in her portrayal of just not knowing where to go, her voice and facial expressions were the things that i noted on the most, how deeply she felt the emotions of Alex, showing the rocky ups and downs of just not understand why everyone has their lives together whilst you drown in the background. I thought this portrayal was absolutely outstanding.

Francine played by Camila, first of all the actor themselves smile was so brightening, especially in this character, so when Francine frowned it struck me that much more. The tone of her voice was so mesmerising, something about it really made you believe in this character, watching her go through struggling with her parents and boyfriends expectations was heartbreaking, but watching her pursuit her passion was honestly such a satisfying character arc. Camila not only took this performance to a new level, i think the chemistry she had with other actors on the stage was fantastic!

Nic played by Damien was one of my favourites of the night, unbiasedly truly, i was genuinely so twisted into Nic’s arc, seeing his struggles was one thing, but watching Damien play through this was devastatingly brilliant, the acting choice in particular id like to make a mention of was the moment where they were all on stage after Alex’s character breakdown, watching Nic’s facial expressions, bordering on crying but quickly channelling it into anger was beyond brilliant and i truly think if i could see this show without knowing any of the actors, id be just as mesmerised if not further moved by Damiens performance as Nic this evening.

Ronan played by Bethan was my favourite character, truly a page out of my own book, Bethan’s range of voice fitting her portrayal of the character was one thing, but the sheer amount of hard work and talent, even in moments that Ronan was not the focus, i found myself looking at her to make sure she was okay. The scenes with her mouthed was heartbreaking beautiful and i honestly think this portrayal was the one i cried for the most this evening.

Bill, played by Jordan, Man what can i say, his smile is one thing, but the way this dude pulled out all the stops to encourage his daughter to just be a mess, but a free mess, took me back to everything i wanted to hear growing back, and with such a warm and compelling attitude, it was one of the performances that made me cry out of sheer relief that someone was finally helping Alex realise it’s okay not to be put together. The acting choices of Jordan was overwhelmingly comforting, showing that parents don’t always get things right and that it’s okay. i’d love to see him in a performance again. Best dad 100%!

Charlie/Jacob played by Alex, Alex actually was the person to show me where the building was, so seeing him play Jacob was absolutely stunting, i was so shocked at the sheer amount of aggression, yet keeping it all safe, he portrayed on stage! And how gentle spoken he was previously, then on stage he exploded!! I was flabberghasted!
I did like that contrast, and was extremely impressed, but one of the most impressive things in this performance was the sheer contrast between Jacob and Charlie. My partner didn’t even know that Alex played both characters! He sold each role hook line and sinker, really showing the perspective of the older brother stepping in for the father and how heavy the responsibility hangs on his head and ofcourse the role of the boyfriend that just was always slightly off the mark.

Mila played by Charlie, OH MY GOD! I’ve never wanted to have someone in my life more than this portrayal of Mila ever, facially, was everything, the way she had just so much bubble, so much emotion, but showed that heartbreak and hurt when she was snapped at by Alex on the night of applications due. Charlie’s hard work showed through the consistency of her character, you knew she knew that character in and out, up and down. It was nice to see someone so unapologetically themself portrayed by a raw of sunshine. Another one of my favourites of the evening.

Sharon played by Libby broke my heart this evening, truly, the agony in the facial expressions, in the tone of the singing, Libby had a character to play and she didn’t just play it, she brought the whole character to a new level. I was so overwhelmed with tears when i watched the fear she went through, the previous struggles the character had faced and how they projected onto her daughter was so personal and i think nobody better than Libby could’ve played this part and played it as well as she did. Truly another favourite of the evening by far.

The production team outdone themselves, through audio quality, how quickly they fixed any issues through the night and just how hard they’ve worked, you can tell. You truly can see it in every aspect of the entire production.

And ofcourse! The Writer herself, Lydia, I had the honour of meeting her after the show, and words could not describe how much i am bewildered, but not surprised at how hard she worked for her play, it truly shows through every inch of the writing, the word choices, especially for Nic, was genuinely fantastic, i loved the implementation of comedy subtly and tastefully through the piece, genuinely, You did amazing.

This show overall was fantastic, and if you read that whole ramble of a review, go see this show, it’s fantastic and you will NOT regret it in the slightest!!!

Absolutely brilliant musical, storyline funny, as well as dealing with serious issues that all teen-agers face nowadays. Stunning performance from all of the cast especially from Damien who was fantastic. A remarkable play written by a very talented teenager . I would definitely recommend to go see.

What an absolute pleasure it was to watch. Real life issues that show how difficult it is for young people leaving school. The cast where fantastic the stand out for Me was Damien who played the part of a transgender teen showing all the emotions that they go through. I would definitely recommend this show.

Heartwarming musical with a talented young cast. Really enjoyed it.

Absolutely fantastic I loved every minute of it the show was slick and fast moving covering various teenage dilemmas, and was superbly acted by all involved well done

absolutely stunning! the cast is so so talented and the show was just beautiful. you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to go see it again. highly highly recommend

This show is fresh, fast, funny, and moving. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wish the cast and creative team all the best for a successful run. Colin

This was a lovely little musical, it left me wanting more. We had a little snippet into these people's lives and the worries they were going through after high school.
The singing was fabulous and the emotion really came out in the piece, Well done all involved. Brilliant.

Fresh, intelligent, sensitive new musical drama/comedy from a fabulous young team examining contemporary coming-of-age themes. It strikes just the right balance of seriousness and optimism. Infectious songs, sparkling arrangements and a genuine sense of fun from the skilled and energetic cast; Winging It not only wins hearts and minds hands down but the fact that it is the work of a 19 year old writer/composer just hits it out of the park. Fantastic stuff. * * * * *

A fun, powerful and often humorous musical tackling a range of important coming of age topics. You will very likely connect with one or many of the characters and their stories. Extremely talented cast and production team who create and perform with a genuine passion. I loved it.

WOW! This was so much fun and was the perfect evening show to watch whilst at Fringe. It had just the right balance of lighthearted moments alongside raising awareness to more serious themes, without being too heavy. Very well paced and the story wrapped up nicely at the end. The music was a highlight, with tight harmonies and melodies all set to a wonderfully arranged score, which made me forget there was not a live orchestra accompanying the performers. The cast were incredibly talented, and you could tell they were really enjoying themselves which was so lovely to see. Especially considering the writer is only 19 years old, I am shocked that not everyone is talking about this show!
Go and see it!!

A definite MUST GO AND WATCH. For a musical created by such a young writer it was superb. If you love Dear Evan Hansen or Waitress then you will LOVE this show too. The only thing this show needed was a live band! Ones to watch are Camila Crabb - Zambrano as Francine and Charlie Frampton as Mila.

My friend and I bought tickets after being handed a flyer 10 minutes before the show and weren't too sure what to expect. It was a bit of a gamble but we're incredibly thankful that we did. The show covers real issues that young people face whilst relating feelings of fear, isolation and anxiety to all ages of life in a heartfelt and reassuring way. The music was beautiful and performed by an all round fantastic cast.

For me this is it, Winging It! is exactly why I came to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Thoroughly enjoyed the show. A thought provoking and emotional journey. It perfectly captured a supremely difficult time when we wonder if we’re on the right track.

It’s nice to think that we are all just winging it and the important thing is to enjoy the trip! Go see it.

We saw then opening show last night, having walked in off the street after picking up a flyer. We didn’t know any of the cast. It was superb! The music was brilliant and the cast were uniformly strong, with some stellar performances from Damien as Nic and Bethan as Ronan. It was heartfelt and moving, and took me back to being 18 and on the verge of big life decisions (I’m now 45!) my 12 year old daughter also loved it. The only slight negative if I had to find one was the sound was sometimes too loud so you couldn’t hear all the excellent singing which was a shame, but I’m sure that will be ironed out over the rest of the run. Well done everyone, wishing you all the best for your time in Edinburgh.

Very slick performance. For anyone living through or with teenage angst then you will definitely identify with the characters.
Would recommend, we thoroughly enjoyed the hour which flew by!

This poignant and uplifting show is full of lyrical melodies, interesting harmonies, catchy rhythms and exciting ensemble writing. The young cast are uniformly strong with committed, nuanced acting and some beautiful singing which really draws you into the characters’ lives and inner worlds. Imaginative staging and direction and a thought-provoking script make this highly relatable for teens and adults. The Leeds preview had a well-deserved standing ovation, definitely catch it at Edinburgh! 5/5

I was lucky enough to see the preview in Leeds back in July and let me just say, you have to see this show! Not only is it a brilliant cast, poignant writing, the soundtrack and music is phenomenal. I was blown away by the entire production and I'm certain this show is going somewhere. Very close to Dear Evan Hansen! For a 19 year old to have written both the script and music alone, Lydia Whitbread is one to watch.
5/5