House of Cleopatra review – new musical could become a cult sensation

Edinburgh in August is always an excellent time to feast on cutting-edge musicals: yes, occasionally you’ll come across the slightly squiffy parody affairs, but from time to time, and often in far from conventional spaces; you’ll find something that feels resolutely determined to push the art form forwards.

That is especially true of House of Cleopatra, Laura Kleinbaum and Jeff Daye’s musical about the demise of one of history’s most famous leaders, the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, as well as her turbulent affair with the Roman Mark Antony. 

But this is far from Shakespeare: told with anachronistic verve (think if Six was performed at 11pm in a club), chairs are stripped back and audiences mill around, able to sip on pints from a bar and snap selfies mid-show. Christopher D Clegg directs his large ensemble with relentless kinetic drive from the off – Cleopatra’s fall is a savage moment of historical significance, helped no end by the brilliant found-space backdrop (a gigantic organ forms a backdrop to the spectacle), and convention-busting creative decisions. 

Emilie Louise Israel brings a brilliant voice and a steely charisma to the title role, while Marcellus Whyte’s cocksure Mark Antony gets a few belting numbers. River Medway also opens the show with a riotous performance – establishing the show’s refreshingly bold form. Kleinbaum and Daye’s tunes are catchy, upbeat and rarely repetitive – offering the cast an easy opportunity to unleash their strong vocals at regular intervals.

Yes, lyrics are completely washed out by bad sound mixing (not unusual at Edinburgh where a get-in can last a few smatterings of hours) , but this is a show that lives on good vibes rather than verbal prowess.  Give it a year or two’s development to fine-tune some of the rougher edges, with the calibre of producer already involved this could well be a cult sensation – proving how vibrant the musical form can be.