In World’s Greatest Lover, a new musical at the Edinburgh Fringe, Saint Valentine himself summons history’s most iconic male lovers to save the world from a mysterious love drought. It’s a premise that promises campy fun and musical flair, but unfortunately, the execution leaves much to be desired.
The show introduces us to Romeo (Sam Hyre), Casanova (Daniel diPinto), the Marquis de Sade (Jordan Bolden), and Cyrano de Bergerac (Will Ingram), each given a solo number to showcase their romantic credentials. The structure is formulaic: a few ensemble songs, then one by one, each lover steps forward to sing about their particular brand of passion. Casanova boasts of 134 conquests (someone’s clearly not on the apps), while de Sade predictably croons about pain. It’s all very on-the-nose and disappointingly reductive.
The musical style seems to borrow heavily from Six, but with a boyband twist. The choreography is pure mid-noughties cheese, and while the cast throw themselves into it with admirable energy, the result feels more like a tribute act than a fresh theatrical concept. The band, however, sounds excellent throughout, providing a solid musical foundation that the rest of the production struggles to match.
The script is the weakest link. Jokes fall flat, and the dialogue veers between clunky exposition and awkward attempts at humour. It’s not “so bad it’s good,” it’s just bad. The show also leans heavily into heteronormative tropes, failing to even try to acknowledge that love exists in many forms beyond the traditional male-female dynamic.
Despite the flaws, there are a couple of bright spots. Will Ingram as Cyrano delivers a standout performance, combining strong vocals, sharp dancing, and genuine charisma. Rickens Anantua also impresses vocally as Saint Valentine, though the character itself is thinly drawn.
There’s clearly been a significant budget behind this production, but it hasn’t translated into quality. The costumes and lighting are slick, yet the substance is lacking. It takes just a handful of songs and not much else for love to magically be restored, leaving the audience wondering what the point was.
Still, for all its missteps, World’s Greatest Lover has moments of musical catchiness and visual polish. It’s full of energy, if not much depth, but ultimately, this is a show that wants to be Six but lacks the wit, charm and originality.
