A Bohemian Banquet
★★★☆☆ High-energy
Edinburgh New Town Church (Venue 111): Thurs 21 – Fri 22 Aug 2025
Review by Orna Clarke
A Bohemian Banquet at the Edinburgh New Town Church is a true feast for the eyes and ears. A high-energy showcase of musical theatre talent, it’s packed with toe-tapping numbers and polished performances.
Audiences should arrive with full stomachs to enjoy this food-themed medley of songs from the musicals, presented by Edinburgh-based amateur musical theatre group, The Bohemian Lyric Opera Company.
A Bohemian Banquet in rehearsa
The 21-strong cast wears all black, save for bright pops of colour in the form of sashes, braces and hair bands. Accompanied by five-piece band, James McCutcheon and his ‘Side Dishes’, over two hours (including an interval) the Bohemians deliver a fast-paced mix of ensemble numbers, solo performances, duets, and smaller group numbers.
There is lively choreography by Fiona Burns, ranging from low-key for the slower songs to wonderfully over-the-top for the big group numbers. While some performers appear more assured on the dance moves than others during those full ensemble numbers, all remain in step throughout.
Act 1 serves up a dozen tasty tunes under the heading Appetisers and Revelry. After two upbeat, get-the-party-started numbers from A Wild Party, the food-themed repertoire gets underway, with highlights including a quartet rendition of Who Will Buy (Oliver!); the male ensemble’s Toledo Surprise (Drowsy Chaperone); a solo of Happy to Keep His Dinner Warm (How to Succeed in Business…) by Lynne Sadler; and the first act closer: Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast, performed by the entire ensemble and complete with Disney-worthy dance moves.
rousing
Susan Leask leads the rousing rendition of Sunday from Tick, Tick… Boom! which opens Act 2, whose theme is Desserts and Debauchery. Highlights from the second act include Get It (Feed Me) from Little Shop of Horrors, featuring Emily Jane Lister and Darren Johnson backed up by a selection of the female ensemble; Samantha Doig and Lucie Douglas’ duet of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Cruel Intentions); Make an Omelette (Something Rotten) led by Graeme Melvin and Darren Johnson; and Macaroons (Acorn Antiques) by Bethany Dunion.
The cast of A Bohemian Banquet. Pic: The Bohemians.
Colin Sutherland and Bethany Dunion are stand-out performers, but each cast member is well featured throughout the show, and all exude professionalism while giving the impression they’re having great fun on stage.
Far from being a compilation of the hits, the specific theme means plenty of lesser-known songs are featured, and this may well represent some audience members’ first introduction to shows that sit outside mainstream popularity. It pays homage to musicals as old as On the Town, which first debuted on Broadway in 1944, right up to modern shows like The Great British Bake Off Musical which hit the West End in 2023.
The Banquet is a delicious celebration of musical theatre, and a brilliant showcase of the talent The Bohemians have on offer – a tantalising taster of the group’s upcoming season.
Running time: Two hours (including one interval).
Edinburgh New Town Church, 13 George Street EH2 2PA (Venue 111).
Thursday 21 – Friday 22 August 2025.
Daily: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
BLOC website: www.wearebohemians.co.uk/
Facebook: @bohemiansedinburgh
Instagram: @bohemiansedinburgh
TikTok: @bohemiansedinburgh
ENDS
