Fantastic. Stellar. I am at a loss for words at the talent on stage. “The Kid in the Dark” is in pure musical theatre style, but with a Fringe structure. The Music ties together wonderfully, but each song can stand alone. “Kid” has great music & lyrics are wonderful, great movement on stage, and stunning voices from the entire cast. What is amazing is the cast is not from a far way city, they are students at Cincinnati’s own CCM. Using “Kid” as a short hand note for the production reminds me how young the performers are, but on stage you don’t seem to notice, outside of their everyday hip wardrobe.
Mark Halpin’s lyrics to several of the songs are to my untrained ears as good as anything on Broadway today, the song “It’s All Going to End” really showcased the lyrics, the incredible voice of Sara Sheperd, and the strong music by Andrew Smithson.
I will credit Director Richard Hess with adding a great flow between songs and action of the other performers who provided a layer of motion behind many of the solo pieces. It gave more depth and bolted the production as more of an ensemble, than troop of soloists.
If you are a fan of traditional theatre, this would be your best bet at Fringe. For those of us who love all theatre, it is a must see for Fringe.