Bliss - Fringe Review

Thomas Levi
4 hours ago
2 min read

★☆☆☆☆

Bliss arrives with enormous expectations. Backed by the Olivier Award-winning producers, featuring a cast of accomplished West End performers and billed as one of the Fringe’s biggest new musicals, it promises to turn the Disney princess story on its head. Despite impressive production values, the storytelling never matches the scale of its ambition.

The musical follows four princess sisters who escape the tower where their father has hidden them from the outside world. Pip’s journey leads her to a Fairy Godfather, who introduces her to the Pink Lagoon, where imperfections can literally be washed away in preparation for winning Prince Charming’s affection. As the story unfolds, Pip must decide whether becoming the flawless Princess Bliss is worth sacrificing who she really is.

The show’s message is difficult to disagree with. Challenging impossible beauty standards and questioning fairy-tale expectations feels like fertile ground for a modern musical. The problem is that the ideas rarely develop beyond their initial statement. Characters constantly explain the moral through on-the-nose lyrics and dialogue. A fairy tale can be magical without telling the audience exactly how to feel.

Musically, there is undeniable talent on stage. The live band delivers energetic pop arrangements, the vocal harmonies are polished throughout, and the cast perform with remarkable precision. Yet the songs themselves struggle to linger. The contemporary musical style feels commercially appealing, but many of the lyrics lack subtlety; there is rarely any wit, metaphor or character development. The result is a score that sounds impressive without becoming memorable.

What I found particularly distasteful was that every male character exists as a negative stereotype: an overprotective father incapable of raising his daughters correctly, a vain and foolish Prince Charming only interested in beautiful women, and a manipulative Fairy Godfather exploiting young women for personal gain. Empowering female characters doesn’t mean every male figure has to be a bad person, and it weakens what could have been a more nuanced story.

There are also a few mentions of ‘boobs’, sensuality, and people hooking up by the river, which feels at odds with the family-friendly image suggested by the show’s fairy-tale branding. The production needs to make a decision: is this supposed to be pantomime-esque or a main house family musical?

The production’s most memorable achievements come from its design. Jai Morjaria’s lighting constantly reshapes the stage with inventive use of colour and illuminated rope lighting, while Paloma Young’s costumes brilliantly contrast the polished fantasy world with the four sisters’ individuality.

Sadly, Bliss never quite finds the happily ever after it promises.