EdFringe Review: The Real Kyle McCarren

I won’t see every new musical launched at this year’s Fringe, but I would be surprised if anything surpasses The Real Kyle McCarren. In this production, currently playing at the Pleasance Courtyard, writer and composer Andy Roninson, alongside friend and co-creator Sean McVerry, has crafted a moving, intensely enjoyable piece of theatre.

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The narrative tackles grief, creative envy, and the crater left behind by sudden loss. It follows the death – 15 years ago – of Roninson’s 21-year-old friend and bandmate. Centred on an attempt to reconstruct Kyle’s memory, the production builds an intricate, funny, and touchingly real portrait of bantering artistic rivalry and life-changing friendship.

Everything about the score sits head and shoulders above anything else I have seen at the festival this August. Roninson and McVerry’s musical compositions are virtuosic yet lyrically meaningful. They weave razor-sharp comedic lyrics with soaring, emotionally complex harmonies. The show opens with an absolute banger in “I Need You to Hear This Song,” which segues immediately into “Upstate Wherever”—a one-two punch that instantly signals a very special production. While numbers like “What a Legend” inject a brilliant soul-funk beat into the mix, the score also makes room for quieter moments. The ballad “The Last Snow” is particularly touching. There isn’t a dud in the songbook – only first-class, genre-spanning tunes.

Expert Direction and a Standout Fringe Cast

Elevating the production further is its smart, sophisticated direction by Lonny Price and Matt Cowart. Through their assured framing, what could have easily been a sterling bit of concert musical theatre is transformed into genuine drama. The show’s narrative momentum is driven equally by the raw, direct narration from Andy and strong characterisation from the actors.

Kudos are due to every single member of this remarkable cast. Roninson plays himself with unvarnished honesty. Meanwhile, McVerry captures Kyle with the effortless, swaggering ease of a bona fide rock star. The chemistry between them is simply perfect, seamlessly transmitting a feeling of history and unbreakable ties. It must have been tough for Roninson to have Kyle embodied on stage, but it’s a vital dramaturgical choice that pays dividends.

They are supported by a superb ensemble. Vincent Jamal Hooper brings a compelling, self-assured energy to Kyle’s university friend, Liam; Sarah Coffey delivers a mesmerising vocal turn as Kyle’s ex-girlfriend Justine; and Jaygee Macapugay is excellent as Siobhan, Kyle’s no-nonsense, advocating mother. Jamie Mohamdein provides admirable support on bass (and a cameo as Kyle’s folk-singing Irish grandfather), whilst Paige Durr offers a driving, lively pulse on drums. Whether dissecting old teenage compositions, re-enacting hilarious or devastating vignettes, or powering through complex polyphonic numbers like the irresistible pop anthem “Live Forever,” the cast delivers each moment with infectious commitment. 

A Masterpiece in the Making: Navigating Bereavement

Critically, the show refuses to sanitise the messiness of bereavement. The composer leans into the uncomfortable, obsessive ways we search for answers when a young life is cut short. His personal journey in the aftermath of Kyle’s death is profoundly meaningful, rather than self-indulgent. His realisation that each of us has a unique existence in the minds of every loved one, and that it dies with them, carries real philosophical weight. It’s brave to put Kyle’s avatar on stage to referee their own musical eulogy, and — maybe against the odds — it works. 

The show deserves an extended life beyond the Fringe. To achieve this, and to eventually accommodate casts where Roninson and McVerry are not personally performing, minor structural tweaks will be needed. That seems very doable, if the pair are able to trust the show in other hands.

Assuming they are open to such evolution, the long-term potential here is immense. The Real Kyle McCarren possesses the emotional honesty, compositional spark, and narrative heart required to follow in the footsteps of (the very obvious comparator) Tick, Tick… Boom! as a major autobiographical musical drama. It is a triumphant, first-class achievement, and (again) very likely the finest new musical of the festival.

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