Shoe Dunnit

Shoe Dunnit is a new rock/pop musical from the genius of Frank Scarito, inspired by a true-life shoe theft.  The show is the follow up from the hugely successful Café L’Arte which toured locally before playing the Edinburgh Fringe.  Shoe Dunnit is once again set in Café L’Arte café and the timeline is the following day but you don’t need to have seen the first show to enjoy this.

We find Emily, the café owner in a bright mood.  However, poor Robby, her assistant, has had her favourite shoes stolen.  Luckily, we have Emily, our café shop owner, to help us with her intuitive songs that help people.  Will we solve the mystery of the shoe theft and find out Shoe Dunnit?

Emily decides to advertise for a drummer and a keyboard player to help her with her songs.  Every customer in her shop is a potential band member.  First Emily tries her song out on Davina and Antonio.  He fills in the gaps and doesn’t listen.  She is frustrated at not being heard.  Through song they can communicate this.  We meet Steve and his daughter Laura. Steve has been a single parent since his wife, Jean, left.  Steve is poor and bitter but guess what?  Steve is a talented keyboard player.  He doesn’t want to help Emily as he is a bit of a grumpy old man, but when Jean walks into the café, Steve looks for somewhere to hide.  The only option is to wear the panto horse head and play keyboard.  However, he can’t hide for long and tells Jean (through song) how he feels.  Jean still loves him but can she win him back after all this time?

The cast are excellent and give emotional performances, but the standout role goes to Elisa who plays Emily.  Not only does she have a beautiful voice but her acting skills are so good that you find yourself watching her when the attention is elsewhere.  She steals scenes and brings so much humour to the role which isn’t always easy to do.

I loved this show.  It’s proper people watching and considering my life is like Disney’s Enchanted, people bursting into song isn’t unusual to me.  We get to know the characters and their issues and they leave the café feeling better.  Emily truly has a gift that makes people happy.

At this performance we were also blessed to have Lord Grey Academy Choir on hand for two of the songs.  I adored this, not only does it add another dimension to the musical, but you are helping to support young people into the arts.  This is always a good thing in my book.  I loved the songs they performed which were The Arts Must Not Be Silent, which is even more poignant when you find out Frank wrote it during the pandemic.  The finale piece is called At Last which could easily be a no1 hit, it’s really catchy.  

I was lucky enough to see this show just before it sets its sights on the Fringe this summer.  

Follow the journey of Shoe Dunnit here

The shoe must go on.