The Real Kyle McCarren - Forth Pleasance Courtyard - Review

Sometimes at the Edinburgh Fringe, you can find yourself with a gap in your schedule and pondering what to see next. When there is so much to choose from, it is impossible to be aware of everything and difficult to narrow down your options. And that is where the flyers come in, and sometimes on occasion someone handing out those flyers can catch you at just the right time. I was looking for something starting within the next hour to fit in before my next pre-booked show when I was handed a flyer for a show starting in the next 20 minutes, and that show was The Real Kyle McCarren. I was told simply that it was a musical about a man reminiscing about his old friend and the band they used to be in, and I took a chance, and wow am I glad that I did.

Written by and staring Andy Roninson and Sean McVerry, The Real Kyle McCarren tells Andy's tale of coming to terms with the premature death of his high school friend and band mate Kyle McCarren (not his real name), after he passed away in a freak accident at the age of 21. The death isn't a surprise, we are told about it in the opening number as Andy introduces a song that Kyle needs to hear, and the show doesn't focus on that moment, instead digging deep into the aftermath, the fall out, the feelings of those left behind. The mother, the ex, the best friends, those who Kyle meant a lot to, made a difference to.

Invited to the family home after Kyle's death, Andy realises that the Kyle he knew in High School isn't the same Kyle that everyone else knew. Each individual saw and knew a different version, and through his grief Andy needs to learn to understand that, and piece together the memories he had within how everyone else knew Kyle. It is a deep, interesting and incredibly personal look at grief, adjustment and learning how to move on from a loss that feels very impactful, and each song and character has an important role to play. Roninson, of course, plays himself, struggling to know how to feel and act for he is mourning the high school boy, the teasing naughty student who bickered and bantered with him over song lyrics, where others are mourning college Kyle, the life and soul of the party, or a much loved son who treasured his family and sung folk songs in his American/Irish household.

Sean McVerry plays Kyle, or his spirit, the young rockstar image seemingly only visible to Roninson like his conscious sitting on his shoulder, teasing, questioning and in a way guiding his own eulogy in his musical tribute to his memory. It is an interesting decision to have the deceased character constantly there, but in this touching new musical it works, playing on the idea that those we lose never truly leave us and how talking about the deceased can in a way keep them alive. Vincent Jamal Hooper's Liam is the college friend who knew Kyle as the party guy, the legend, leading a high energy song about nights out whereas Sarah Coffey is the softer touch as ex-girlfriend Justine, with her song 'Last Snow' becoming especially poignant. Siobhan, Kyle's mother, played by Jaygee Macapugay, is a driving force, balancing grief with power as she demands the perfect memorial and illustrates that anger that comes with losing a child when they still had so much to give to their life and the world.

The songs are a mix of acapella, rock, soul and folk, again illustrating the different sides of Kyle McCarren, and each performer impresses greatly with their vocals. The songs are catchy, and the lyrics impactful whether highlighting those care free moments of childhood in 'upstate wherever in the year 2000 who cares' or pulling at the heartstrings with the all too painful reality of 'this could be the last snow'. Thankfully, there is an EP out in the world to listen too.

Presented in the Pleasance Forth with live instruments in a recording studio like set up, I predict that this is only the beginning for The Real Kyle McCarren. Such an in-depth, personal and beautiful exploration of grief deserves a future, and I can see this being extended out beyond its 80 minute fringe running time into a fully fledged musical that could do well on a larger stage. This is just the beginning.