WW Reviews

Solve It Squad follows a teen crime solving group made up of Esther, played by Lauren Lopez, Scrags, played by Joey Richter, Keith, played by Gabe Greenspan and Gwen, played by Ashley Clements. When their dog is murdered they split up. The story joins them as adults as they try to reopen and solve the case of the killer who they suspect murdered their dog when they were teens.

The Tin Can Bros are the creative group behind this play as well as the musical Spies are Forever. I had seen the show, the Solve It Squad, via the groups YouTube channel as they upload many of their shows online. I had also taken part in their Kickstarter to bring the Solve It Squad to the Edinburgh Fringe. I write all this to say I may be biased in my estimation of the show but I try to remain neutral viewing the performance through the lens of an audience member who is unaware of the background of this group. However, I feel it is always better to be honest about one’s involvement in or knowledge of any show.

Unfortunately, for the performance I saw Brian Rosenthal who plays Everyone Else was incapacitated and his role was played by the Director Corey Lubowich who was not an understudy. This meant that the show was a little more unrehearsed than was probably the case at other performances. However, at the Edinburgh Fringe this adds to the atmosphere and made for extra jokes as the cast change was announced before the show therefore allowing the audience, even those unfamiliar with the group, to be in on the extra jokes.

I really enjoyed that the show is a play as the Tin Can Bros had previously created a musical and the members of the group are a part of Team Starkid who are known for creating musicals. A play allows for different creative muscles to be stretched and I don’t think the Solve It Squad would have worked as well if it were a musical. The play was funny but I felt it could have been funnier with a higher joke count. The plot doesn’t delve into deep emotion but it is not funny enough to be able to carry this light tone off. The costumes were effective in reflecting the colour palette of the Scooby-Doo characters they parodied but too many elaborate wigs and outfit changes made it difficult for Corey to make all his cues. Again, this may be due to Lubowich being the Director and not an understudy.

Overall, the show ends up being good but does not equal the brilliance of Spies Are Forever or achieve the light but hilarious comedy of equivalent comedic pieces.  However, with the creative team of the Tin Can Bros I am sure there will be many more triumphs to come.

Photography by: Michelle Mangan PR

Performance:
Tuesday 20th August 2024
18:40
Assembly George Square Studios – Studio Two

Cast: