Content warning – includes dramatisation of the decline of mental health, self harm and suicide.
Vagabond Skies is an original musical about the life of Vincent Van Gogh playing at the Edinburgh Fringe. The performance has a talented cast, good staging – but lacks in music and storytelling, which is arguably the most important part of a musical.
The show aims to highlight the complicated and emotional relationship between Vincent and his brother Theo, as they communicate through letters. Theo encourages Vincent to pursue his passion for art, and does not accept criticism of his brothers work. As Vincent’s well-being begins to decline, Theo finds himself deeply affected.
There is no pause for dialogue during the show, which would have been appreciated to provide clarity on timelines, as the show repeatedly jumps forward in time without addressing it. In one scene Vincent goes home with a girl he has just met, and in the next scene they have a baby, which is one of many examples.
Due to a small cast, some of the actors regularly change characters. The change of characters is not explained within the songs though. Meaning those who seem to have no importance to the story become central without clarification. During the show it gets increasingly confusing what the plot actually is.
The cast were talented, including actors who had appeared on the West End in productions of The Lion King and Hamilton. Despite this, the songs lack a distinctive quality, and soon merge into one. Similar tunes and the repeated “ my brother” do not hold your attention for the full time. The Edinburgh Fringe has not been the debut for this material, which has previously been performed live, and work began on it over fifteen years ago.
It was appreciated that the self harm and death of Van Gogh was not made to be overly graphic. Also, the visuals of his art did add to the performance. There were positive aspects to the show, but they did not compare to the shortcomings.
Vagabond Skies will continue to play at Gilded Balloon at the Museum at 9pm until the 21st of August.
Featured Image Credit : vagabondskies on Instagram
Arts Editor - get in touch via arts@brignews.com
Journalism and English student.
