We Brits do love a gritty police drama, and there are certainly no shortage of them to choose from on the telly, but you might have noticed some common themes running through them all. At this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, there’s a new one to binge on in the form of Luke Kempner’s Gritty Police Drama – The Musical, playing at Pleasance Courtyard.
Bringing together a host of fan favourites, from Line of Duty to Happy Valley, Kempner introduces a star studded cast of celebrity detectives and suspects, and it’s all in the name of squeezing sixty glorious impressions into a sixty minute show.
If all that wasn’t enough, Kempner has also made this a one-man musical – no easy feat! But this is not a half-baked attempt or gimmick, Kempner can sing, and he takes on some of the most challenging musical numbers from the likes of Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera, all with lyrics changed to suit this ‘gritty’ police drama.
With a well-known celebrity found murdered (we won’t say who, but the audience actually cheered when the victim was revealed), Kemp enlists the help of a line-up of celebrity detectives to investigate the equally star-studded suspects; from Claudia Winkelman to David Attenborough, Kempner has them covered.
There’s plenty to enjoy with Luke Kempner’s Gritty Police Drama – The Musical, the songs are a surprise and a delight, and Kempner’s skill as an impressionist is merely the icing on the cake to a very funny hour of musical comedy.
