Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh
What does a 31-year-old theatre kid do when a DNA test reveals that his biological parents aren't quite who he thought they were? Write a musical, of course! In this hilarious, moving and true story, Noam Tomaschoff grapples with questions of family, identity and just how many brothers and sisters he really has. Blending comedy, drama and addictive music, Noam takes the audience on an unforgettable journey, ending with a message of optimism that will make you hold your family just a little bit tighter.
Noam Tomaschoff is like any other theatre kid until he stumbles across a site called 23andMe, which gained popularity by holding a huge sale on DNA testing kits. Curiosity gets the better of Noam and he completes one, casually mentioning this to his parents over dinner one night. What he could not have predicted however was the intensity of their reaction to this seemingly unimportant piece of news, or how it would turn his entire world upside down. Noam’s parents decide the best thing to do would be to be honest with him themselves, so that he doesn’t learn from a DNA test that his father is in fact not his biological father.
When the results come in, they connect to a website which builds your family tree and connects you with relations who have also taken the DNA test. Noam discovers a list of names longer than his right arm and chooses one to connect with, uncovering a half-brother who leads him to a Facebook group consisting of the 35 half siblings that are currently known of, including the son raised by their sperm donor. The incredibly clever score and humorous yet beautifully poetic lyrics take us through Noam’s journey as he processes this news and does the only logical thing he knows how to do to help him handle the bombshell: write a musical!
I would describe the show as it is now as more of a musical storytelling, gorgeously emotive and plays loosely with the fourth wall. It’s the kind of show that really doesn’t need a set, or tech, as it’s all in the music and delivery.
The beauty of this show is that it doesn’t focus entirely on Noam’s perspective, with a couple of numbers that give his parents the opportunity to express their emotions, one of which is brilliantly staged using sock puppets – a piece of comedy genius. In fact, at the very end of the show Noam reveals that his parents, once reluctant for him to write this show, had not missed a single night since the show opened at the Toronto Fringe Festival just over a year previously. The audience broke into rapturous applause as he called for his parents to stand, creating a really wholesome moment of connection that was incredibly special to witness, and I have no doubt it was equally as precious each and every time.
This was my last show of the fringe and left me feeling all the feels. Hilariously endearing in a true ‘My Son’s A Queer’ style, this show is in a fantastic position in that it could certainly be a major success being taken further exactly the way that it is, equally it has been perfectly written to form a base for an expanded version or even full length musical.
You can find out more about Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical, here.
Review by Rachel
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