I should begin with a confession. Other than a handful of special cases I have never been able to enjoy musicals. My attitude can be summed up in two brief sentences :
"Please stop singing and prancing about and just get on with the plot. Oh - hang on - there isn't one...."
And that was my reaction to this production despite it being very well performed and having some genuine pathos in the storyline.
Six catholic schoolgirls from Oban are off to Edinburgh to take part in a choral competition. But they have other plans, largely based around alcohol and sex. A variety of adventures and misfortunes occur, and along the way the girls find out a lot more about each other a discover connections they hadn't previously recognised. There are some excellent individual tales, but any continuity is always disrupted by the need to burst into song at random moments, most of the lyrics seemingly unconnected to the stories being told. It makes for frustrating viewing, and a piece that is over long by a good half hour.
Not that there's anything wrong with the singing itself, or the dance routines or the live three piece band. They are entertaining enough, just feeling irrelevant most of the time.
All six actors give excellent performances, but Dawn Sievewright stood out for her characterisations and singing voice.
At the end a large part of the audience delivered a standing ovation, so they obviously saw something I didn't, or are more easily pleased. My wife overheard one woman saying that the play had reflected her own life. So maybe it's my fault for never having been a catholic schoolgirl?
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is on in the Traverse at various times until the 30th. The Fringe website is showing their allocation is sold out for all nights.
No comments:
Post a Comment