A Male Soprano @ Paradise in the Vault

Fireden Productions bring A Male Soprano to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The journey from bullied young boy to male soprano with an agent falls slightly short of being the heartwarming, inspirational tale it should be.

D.C. Harlock is likeable and enthusiastic in his role as the male soprano himself. He has a real child-like quality as the boy who has to move school because of how his voice makes him a target for bullies. From there the story portrays different parts of his life as he struggles to find his place in his failing career, relationships, and life in general.

There is real potential in this show – the story is there, the writing seems natural and is performed by Harlock in a very relatable way, the performance as a whole is verging on creative in its slight unconventionality and humour. However tighter direction is needed as it feels messy and unfocused. Tighter direction also to bring the heart of the story to the surface and give the performance more depth.

There is a real beauty to Harlock’s voice, though at times it seems he is singing more to show this rather than to push forward the plot. Using the songs in a more effective way would interlock scenes and make for a more interesting show.

With work this could become the heartwarming, inspirational play that people from all walks of life could relate to. A solid performer such as Harlock is the central point for this – it will be interesting to see where he can go from here.