Edges

Funny, sweet, angsty and occasionally overwrought – started by American songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul when they were 19-year-old university students and completed in 2007 – this brisk coming-of-age song cycle (it’s only an hour long) has the same traits as the typical 20-somethings it takes as its subject. At its best, it strikes a real chord.

As the title makes clear, each of the 14 songs packed into the running time is about life on the cusp of change. From getting a ‘proper’ job and losing touch with old friends to worrying about settling down, every anxiety about being in your twenties is picked apart in a series of musical vignettes.

Aside from ‘One Reason’ – a histrionic song about an errant father that seems to go on forever – the main problem here is director Adam Philpott’s confusing initial framing device of four friends having a beach get-together. It fits the theme, but leaves you expecting an ongoing story where none is forthcoming.

But once you cotton onto that, there’s much to enjoy. Of the rest of the songs, ‘Be My Friend’ – about ‘the’ Facebook (it’s very American) – is amusing, and probably the best known number, but already seems dated; ‘I Hmm You’ stays on the right side of saccharine; while ‘In Short’ is a hilariously vicious and foul-mouthed kiss-off to an ex.

The latter is sung brilliantly by Christina Modestou, who lights up the Tabard’s tiny stage. Superb in ‘In the Heights’ at Southwark recently, she has wit and charisma to spare here. But while she gets the best songs, the whole four-strong ensemble are in fine voice, belting out the group numbers with infectious energy.