If a show being set “far in the fascist future” sounds a little abstract, just wait ‘till you hear the rest. OSCAR at The Crown, on at Assembly George Square Garden, is billed as an immersive nightclub musical, and is a fun way to start a night out.
We find ourselves in a secret bunker populated by those who have been made outcasts from the future fascist society. Those who were left for dead, with no food or water, have managed to build an underground bunker where each night they perform a show about Oscar Wilde’s life. All of this is going rather well, until a new outcast shows up and has a different take on the Irish wordsmith. The plot is asking a lot of the audience, even before you throw in a song about a character from The OC.
The songs are well-written, each with a strong chorus to make sure they stick the landing. They are, however, largely indistinguishable from one another, with the exceptions of the closing song and the punk rock tune where Oscar is introduced. The vocals and instruments are heavily produced to make everything sound like Euro-pop anthems, which they do very successfully, and the voices of the performers are incredibly strong. The mobile staging feels genuinely immersive and really helps to build the nightclub atmosphere while also putting the audience at ease to enjoy the show however they please.
Unfortunately, the show lacks any particular depth, save for an interesting take on Oscar Wilde’s more questionable life choices at the end. With the exception of Oscar, the wife, and the lover, the cast have no clear characters (unless you count the fact they wear different colours). The section about a character from The OC and her connection to the TV series The Real Housewives lacks any clear relevance to the rest of the story, and feels like something the writer just… wanted us to know.
It is hard to ignore the lack of substance in the show, but rest assured that with the right group of friends, the show’s spectacle, staging, songs, and dancing contribute to a fun night out.
