A small Hebridean island, a place of permanence and transition, where people come and go and stay and leave. So The Isle of Love begins, introducing us to a range of characters who are on the island for their own varied reasons. A wild man living off the land, escaping from .... whatever ; a couple trying to patch up their marriage; a lovelorn man, seeing no future; a woman wanting to change her life. They, and sundry other characters, provide a mix of plotlines that weave in and around one another, and come together at the end, exploring their own dilemmas and the impact of the island on their lives.
The set looks a mess at first glance, but reveals it's cleverness, able to to work as beach, harbour, cliffs, hills, rooms and shops. There's a cast of six. Five handle the various roles and share the narration that moves each story forward. The sixth member is Adam Ross, driving force of indie band Randolph's Leap, leading the music with guitar and an excellent voice. The others are also accomplished musicians and competent singers, and together form a full band line up with a folkpop feel to it. Ross also briefly joins the action, playing himself traveling to perform on the island, and quickly shows why he's the musician!
That slight weakness aside, this is a strong ensemble performance, with no individual standing out, but everyone doing their job effectively. There's a decent script too, funny, intriguing, thought provoking, and the songs are to the point with some clever lyrics. You know where you are when you hear someone described as talking like a weatherman. Occasionally, with so many characters coming around, it can be hard to keep up with who has which problem to resolve, but it all falls into place towards the end.
This is a play with music, rather than a musical, and although there is a feelgood ending of sorts, it also reminds us that there are't always easy answers to our problems, that running away rarely solves them, and sometimes the place you need to be isn't always where you thought it was. Very enjoyable, with catchy songs and some real meat on the bones of both plot and character. Recommended.
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