This lively and epic musical captures the live run of A Mirrored Monet at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, and is made available on demand.
Claude Monet (1840-1926) is seen as both a mature man and as his younger self. While he works to establish himself as an artist, he finds the love of his life, Camille, his muse, model, mistress and first wife, from 1870-1879.
Carmel.Owen’s musical is sweeping, lyrical and romantic. Of course parallels night be drawn with Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George, and director Fraser Grant’s production has artistic backdrops to illustrate the work of Monet and his contemporaries.
This digital version has very high production values with a variety of camera shots and angles, and pin-sharp sound. A Mirrored Monet boasts an excellent cast headed by Matthew Hydzik as young Monet and Crawford Logan as Monet in his 70s.
Sarah Haddath is a memorable Camille, while Marc McMillan, Graham Btuce, Chris Dodd and Craig Hunter play other eminent artists. Their voices blend well together and their acting enhances the story, whether they are friend or foe.
A Mirrored Monet is a truly accomplished musical that punches far higher than you may expect from a fringe production. It imagines what might have happened when Monet and his peers came together in conversation, while dealing with his family drama and deep regrets about the past.
It runs 90 minutes but doesn’t force of much in, and the story, largely sung-through, is genuinely interesting. The songs are about art, inspiration, creativity and impressionism. Many are deftly crafted and cleverly constructed.
Curiously, this is one of two shows at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe on the subject of Monet, the other being A Montage of Monet by Threedumb Theatre. It goes to show that the father of Impressionist painting still fascinates us nearly 100 years after his death.
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https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/mirrored-monet (on-demand to the end of Edinburgh Fringe).