The Real Kyle McCarren: Songs Soar, Subject Elusive
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- Andy Roninson created "The Real Kyle McCarren," a concert-style musical based on real events that eulogizes his bandmate Kyle, who died suddenly at 21, with Roninson narrating and playing keys.
- Sean McVerry, who wrote the music and lyrics, plays Kyle himself and frequently ribs Roninson's narrator throughout the show set in the days just after the death.
- Cast members Vincent Jamal Hooper (a rival "best friend" Liam), Jaygee Macapugay (Kyle's formidable mother), and Sarah Coffey (Kyle's ex) each deliver a solo tribute spanning rock, soul and folk, with Coffey's plaintive ballad singled out as a standout.
- Lonny Price and Matt Cowart co-direct the polished production, with songs presented in unconventional ways — including a number built around a CD skipping mid-recording.
- Roninson — a Jonathan Larson Grant recipient whose show the reviewer compares to Rent's off-kilter wit — is urged to break out of the concert format with fuller flashbacks, because Kyle remains "elusive" when told only through others' aftermath reminiscences rather than a key incident.
- The musical is playing at Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh, until 30 August.
Why it matters: The review flags a structural tension the production must resolve before traveling further: polished execution, well-crafted songs, and a versatile cast can't compensate when the title character never fully emerges, because the concert format tells Kyle's story through aftermath sketches rather than showing a key incident. Whether Roninson adds the fuller flashbacks the reviewer suggests would determine whether this real-life eulogy becomes a transferable piece or stays a festival curiosity.
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