July 20. Day 202. What's the buzz

Be honest. Have you ever gone to a school reunion and secretly marked a report card about who has survived the post school years the best? Or perhaps you have wanted to slash the tyres of someone who has done the dirty on you or even reprimanded an old friend who seems to have dumped you because his new significant other has cut old acquaintances out of his life. It's a fair bet that one or more of those things are more likely to have happened to you than your house fall or a witch, a magical nanny dance on your roof or a cellar-dwelling opera phantom kidnap you. Do not get me wrong. I will NEVER, EVER dis the good old musicals. Ever. But new audiences are demanding new musicals and that's where modern duos such as Justin Paul and Benj Pasek come in. There's a whole new world of musicals out there and a whole generation of performers ready to embrace them. But those in the creative and performance industries, like workers in just about every other sector of the economy, are realising that there's no point in waiting for the big break to present itself. The next job is just as likely to be the one you create for yourself. That's where Understudy Productions comes in. The Brisbane-based company is the baby of Alex Woodward, a Musical Theatre graduate from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and Edges a Song Cycle, which opened tonight at the Metro Arts Theatre in Edward Street, is its debut production. Alex is joined by five other local rising musical stars (Dominic Woodhead, Luke Hodgson, Pia Frangiosa, Stephanie Long and Danika Saal) in a musical that presents vignettes about relationships told as a group of old friends reunite and catch up. Like all the best musicals there is a variety of styles and a mix of humour and sadness because that's life. These young performers have talent to burn and the intimate performance space of the Metro Arts Theatre allows an up close and personal look at the talent of tomorrow. There will be many who prefer a chandelier dropping and that's okay. But there's a buzz around the new musicals that is well worth checking out.

EDGES by Understudy Productions continues at Metro Arts Theatre until Saturday.