Edinburgh Review: The Real Kyle McCarren Musical — SkimNews
SkimNews Take
Grief-driven works often become portraits of the surviving artist rather than the absent subject — a paradox where the act of honoring someone can crowd them out of their own memorial.
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- Andy Roninson created The Real Kyle McCarren, a concert-style US musical based on real events, serving as a eulogy for his bandmate Kyle who died suddenly at 21.
- Roninson narrates and plays keys in a show set 'upstate wherever in the year 2000-who-cares,' unfolding in the days after Kyle's death and structured around tributes from mutual acquaintances.
- Sean McVerry, who wrote the music and lyrics with book-writer Roninson, plays Kyle himself opposite solo tributes from characters including Vincent Jamal Hooper's 'best friend' Liam, Jaygee Macapugay as Kyle's mother, and Sarah Coffey as his ex, covering rock, soul and folk.
- Lonny Price and Matt Cowart co-direct the production at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, running until 30 August, with songs presented in unconventional ways including recreating a skipping CD and Roninson's teenage jamming with Kyle.
- Roninson, a Jonathan Larson Grant recipient, draws comparisons to Rent creator Jonathan Larson in the show's off-kilter neuroses and wit.
- The reviewer praises the 'earnest, assured and polished production' and its acute insights into grief, but argues Kyle 'remained elusive' because the show never breaks from its concert format to show fuller flashbacks or key life incidents.
Why it matters: The review positions *The Real Kyle McCarren* as a polished but structurally limited entry in Edinburgh Fringe's 2025 musical lineup, with a Jonathan Larson Grant recipient leaning on Rent-style convention while struggling to move past eulogy convention — a gap the reviewer suggests fuller flashbacks could close.
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