I love attending musicals at the Fringe. It is so exciting to go and discover new shows that haven’t been adapted from an already established IP!

I’ve had a string of luck with the past few original musicals I’ve seen at Fringe, many of which I feel could make very successful transfers to theatrical runs outside of the festival circuit.

“Lisa! The Mona Lisa Musical” by We’re Gonna Be A Dad was no exception!

When entering the space, live music already welcomes us in. This is a surprisingly uncommon treat to have at the world’s largest performing arts festival, but one I will always gladly take!

I was gripped from the opening number, which I haven’t stopped humming since I heard it. The story unfolds that the “Mona Lisa” has been stolen from the Louvre in 1911. The perfect heist that has Paris and the world baffled. To understand it all, we must go back 400 years into the past, when the painting was first created by Leonardo da Vinci.

We go on a madcap adventure involving Da Vinci’s time machine, Mona Lisa herself, Da Vinci’s apprentice, the Vetruvian Man, and a small victorian orphan boy. They all go on a heist to steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and make it the most famous painting in the world!

Add in a kleptomaniac Pablo Picasso and 60, no wait 16, or was it six teen detectives? No matter what, it all added to a hilarious musical heist!

The only thing this show currently lacks is a better budget, and that is NEVER a reason to downgrade a show’s rating. The company made it work with cardboard sets and props, but, by god, I feel like they deserve an upgrade and a funded run!

It is the perfect balance of quirky and catchy, and I feel like you need to rush for tickets before it closes at the end of the week.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️