Rubies in The Attic Review

Tonight I travelled into my grandmother’s attic where I was met with four women whose siren-esque voices and impeccable style teleported me to the grand old 1940s. A time of great change in England with WWII at its doorstep. A time when music was used to tell story and ruby red slippers could take you far away with a click of the heel.

My night was one of mirth, four-part harmonies and ruby red lipstick. It was quite an enjoyable evening at the theatre, especially for seeing a show that I knew very little about, that show being Rubies in The Attic.

I went into the theatre simply knowing I was going to see a preview for an Edinburgh Fringe show and nothing more, and if you’ve ever been to the Fringe you know that it is always hit or miss. I though, ladies and gentlemen, was lucky enough to see a hit!

Rubies in The Attic is a cabaret piece by The Ruby Dolls that will be playing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival August 2-27. And you all must see it! This show is definitely one of my top picks for the Fringe Festival.

The Ruby Dolls are comprised of four friends, Susanna Fiore, Jenny Grove, Jessica Sedler and Tara Siddall, who graduated from LAMDA and formed the group with the aim to, “make theatre, inspired by the intimacy and variety of cabaret, bringing stories to life through close harmony singing”

This was a fun and smart evening at the theatre. As I entered the studio a beautiful doll greeted me and as I looked upon the stage I felt as if I might’ve accidentally walked into a vintage shop in Portobello Market. It was a treasure trove of antiquities and tales of yesteryears.

The performers were all on point. The harmonies were incredibly stunning to hear and experience.  The ensemble acting was top notch. The comedy was so appropriate and felt like dialogue written for the golden era of MGM and those amazing musicals of Minnelli.

The performers in their own rights could have belonged to the era of Katherine Hepburn and Debbie Reynolds.

I laughed throughout the whole performance as the Ruby Dolls warmed the audience with the tales of their ancestry. We learned of their lineage through the mapping of their families’ stories of migration. And, fear not…you too can have your family story told as the Ruby Dolls make an ancestor using bits of family history from the whole audience. The overarching storyline worked seamlessly and I was truly sad when it was over, because I became totally enthralled with these charismatic actresses.

This was a dynamic show and if not for the great performances then go see it for those killer patent-red heels and ruby red lips.