A review of Orpheus: A New Musical, Fringe 2026

Tucked into the corner of the lovely Hill Square is a wee gem of a venue as a part of the Symposium Hall. Inside, the next generation of musical theatre have been hard at work bringing the vision of Sam Essen and Ben Glasstone to life in this lighthearted retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Sam has been in love with musical theatre since the age of seven and combined with his fascination for Greek Mythology he and Ben created this musical just for the Fringe Festival 2026. Yorkshire CREATE and Rabbit Head Productions were a great collaboration choice – you can feel how much this show means to the teens and the adult helpers the minute you step into the venue. 

The children at the heart

The cast of 13 teens show real promise and I was beyond impressed with their talent. They each juggled multiple roles, remembering where the staging was going and their choreography; as someone who performs musical theatre I can tell you there are many adults who struggle with that and these kids seemed to take it all in their stride.

The Oracle was full of sass and personality, Cerberus had the whole crowd laughing, Hades had a booming presence that fit perfectly and Orpheus’ voice was clear and pure. The extra characters certainly didn’t let themselves fade into the background, all of them always showing great expression and movement.

A massive shout out to Reggie, the lone boy in the cast. Keep shining, your voice is so strong and clean and we need more men showing their love for theatre. 

Music and staging

The songs were the kind the whole family would enjoy – the melodies boppy and fun enough while the lyrics told the story in an excellent way. There was a lot of repetition in the melodies, but they each told a different story. I do wish some of the quieter teens could have the music lowered a little for them so their lovely voices could be heard a little clearer, but it didn’t stop the fun.

The stand-out song was definitely Cerberus’ song, everyone in the crowd had a huge smile plastered across their faces, myself included. The number of ways the kids used those 3 blocks for so many different things was incredible. They used every part of the stage and they used it well. The lighting added to the vibes to create a show that looked much bigger than the room it was in. 

Overall

I think if you enjoy musical theatre and have an interest in Greek Mythology – or if you simply want to support teens pursuing a creative art, then Orpheus is a brilliant show to go to. The way they performed the story was a fitting tribute and I commend Sam and Ben for choosing teens to perform this instead of adults.