The Swansong (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 A young woman (Julia Murray) in the park, heads for the duck pond, her aim to end her life which feels like it's alll gone horribly wrong.  But an unlikely intervention from a talking swan (Paul McArthur) convinces her to think again, at least for a while.  And if there's time to think, says the swan, there's time for a night out.  Cue a series of bars and clubs and drunken soliloquys.  And songs, lots of songs, for htis is very much a musical.

And that's the problem, at least for someone like me.  When they could be expanding the plot, and exploring what is at heart a very dark theme, they're too busy singing.  he lyrics do help move things along, but not nearly as much as well written dialogue would have.  This cocktail of human frailty, fantasy and redemption deserved a little more depth, less froth. 

Disappointing.

The Events, Traverse

 A warm, happy group, having fun and laughs and tea, bringing the audience into the atmoshpere, by distributing tea and bsicuits.  They sing, a rough and ready choir, there for the enjoyment of using their voices, the minister directing them with humour and affection. 

And then He arrives, The Boy, and all changes.  The choir fade into the background, the conforntation between their leader, Claire, and the stranger, slowly taking shape, him chipping away her secuity with his own insecurities.  He the perperpetraro of a mass shooting, she a survivor, and it become sclear how he has marked her life, changed her.  He offers explanations for his actions, a litany of far right fantasy themes on race and immigration.  She unravels as the memories seep through, the fear and horror of the moment.  The choir, the community, the only anchor she has.

It's a poerful journey.  Sam Stopford is excellent as The Boy, constantly switching in and out of other characters in the story, a threat not through his presence but from his beliefs.  Claire Lamont's Claire gets a little too lost at times, but reamins the humane centre of the tale.  And the choir are there to remind us that events like these affect us all.

Davie Greig wrote The Events in 2013, but the themes it raises are still all too contemporary.  

Righ Aisgair : The Fisher King (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 2 young women hiking acorss the moors of Lewis.  Lexie (Fiona MacNeil) is on a mission, to fish in the loch where she used to go with her dad.  Effie (MJ Deans)  is, it seems, relauctantly chumming along, and not happy with the pace her pal expects her to go at.  Along the way there are tales of fairies and ghosts and some songs and jokes.  All tied in with a mix of happy and sad memories, and delights and fears.  And as secrets come out the pair learn about one another, and the mysteries of the land.  Ca they make it back safely in the dark, when the mist is swirling and confusing?

This is about the power of myth and how it can relate to real world issues, and about facing up to fears and secrets.  Gaelic is woven into the script, which works quite well, but the jokes lack punch, and the narrative loses it's way at times.  It's an interesting concept, and well acted by both parties (there is a third actor, but their appearance is brief - and weird), but lacks cohesion and a real conclusion.  Enjoyable enough, but not memorable.   

Kathryn Tickell and the Darkening, Traverse

Tickell is a folk veteran, a great creative and has her heart in the right place.  She was accompained by a 4 piece Darkening.  Amy Thatcher on piano accordion, vocals and... clogs!  Heather Cartwright on acoustic and electric guitars.  At the back sat Joe Truswell and his drums.  And finally Stef  Conner playing a lyre (!), mini keyboard and bits of percussion.  All bar the drummer contributied vocally as well, with only Heather not having a turn at singing lead.

While they form a very talented line up, the main attraction remains Tickell, playing the Northumbriam smallpipes and fiddle, and adding her own excellent vocal contribution.  Together they played a mix of new and trad Northumbrian music, with many influences from other lands, such as Galicia.  Indeed the set list was notable for variety, with a wide range of tempos, swithing between tunes and songs, traditional tunes given modern arrangemnts, no fear of experimentation, and the fun addition of Amy's clog dancing.  All that and a bit of audience participation too.  Tickell is a fun raconteur between numbers, and the interplay within the band was ofrten hilarious.

KY reamins one of English folk's powerhouse performaers, a virtuoso on an unfashionable instrument, with a delightful accent to talk to us in.  She is matched by the incredible Thatcher, and soaring vocals of Conner.  Hugely entertaining. and a night that brought a lot of smiles.

Maybe Tomorrow (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 A  musical with a well worn theme.  Ageing entertainer Sian Silver (Liz Ewing) never quite made the big time, and now she;s reduced to a dingy theatre, creepy fans and a struggle to get by.  Once upon a time she saw herself as Annie, starring as the little orphan girl, but that ship sailed long ago.  Indeed long before she could have boarded.  Now she's harassed by the stage crew, exploited by the promoters and... imagining conversations with her younger, more hopeful, self.  So can the old hope be revived?  Playing all the other parts is Julia Murray, as fan, stage manager, entrepreneur, young Sian and more.  

There are some laughs, the songs aren't bad (although £250 goes on a bit...), but it all feels a bit shabby.  We've seen this story so many times before, and there's nothing new this script has to offer.  I expect better from the PPP series.

The bright spot is Murray's impressive performance, with a great singing voice, real stage presence, and deliniation of multiple characters.  Including a section where she was having a conversation with herself behind the set, whilst also changing back into the outfit of a third character.  Seamless.

I hope the final offering of this season is going to be a big imporvement - not a high bar to cross over!

Cheapo (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 

The PPP series provides 50 minute shows with fairly limited production budgets.  Before I get into reviewing the drama, it feels important to comment on the set.  This provided a really strong visual impact before we'd even begun, with a nod to the chess based theme of the play, and a hint at how impactful the story would be.

Jamie (Testimony Adegbite) turns up in KFC, fast food in hand, portable chess set in his bag, and still in his school blazer.  He's there to play his regular game with his pal.  But, confounding his expectations, the opponent today is Kyla (Yolanda Mitchell), who doesn't even play chess.  She is, though, the girl he has reported to the police as a victim.  Surely that's a good thing?  Kyla doesn't think so, because it's losing her her friends, and social status matters more than truth.

And so the game begins, but with higher stakes and no rules.  Jamie wants to do the right thing, Kyla wants to be popular, both want the other to change their mind.  For such a short play this script offers a lot to think about, concerning the pressures on teenagers today.  Misogyny, racism, sexual objectification and social conformity, with some uncomfortable themes exposed.  

Strong performances from both actors, with some complex choreography to deliver too.  The script has also been given a few Edinburgh references, to make it more identifiable to a local crowd, a nice touch.  Cheapo is the best of this PPP series to date, and sits comfortably in the long line of these productions that have tackled tough subject matter and left the audience with much to ponder on.  Excellent.

Feis (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Deirdre (Louise Haggerty) runs an Irish dance school, but it's struggling to make a profit, so she supplements her income giving online 'lessons'.  But her costume sporting nipple tassels is a clue that the site is something similar to OnlyFans.  But she thinks she has a way of making her school a success a way - training the winner of the next world championship.  And she'll go to any lengths to make it happen.  Her mother Maura (Julie Coombe) want to help, but is sceptical of Deirdre's plans.  And daughter Aoife (Leah Balmforth), once their star dancer, has left and won't come home.  Or will she?  

With onstage musical accompaniment from Brian James O'Sullivan, this is a black comedy with a thin and farcical plot, and jokes that come complete with big signposts. Subtle it's not, at times reminiscent of a '70s sitcom.  And Balmforth's more naturalistic performance sits uneasily with the OTT delivery of the other women.  O'Sullivan is good though, with perfect timing of music and sound effects, and some hilarious announcements.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh.  It was fun at times, and very much in the light entertainment mould.  But  I've come to expect more from PPP offerings, so it does suffer in comparison.  One of the least memorable in the series.

Our Brother (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Pol Pot, communist dictator of Cambodia, has agreed to meet with a US journalist, and a Scottish academic.  The American only gets a short time granted her, and is frustrated, but not surprised,  by the lack of cooperation.  But the Scot is a different matter.  He’s written about Pot, about the revolution, and supports the policies of returning Cambodia to an agrarian society.  He’s there to learn the truth first hand, to prove to the rest of the world that the Khmer Rouge are not the brutal regime that the outside world sees them as.

The structure gives us snippets of the discussion between the Scot (Bobby Bradley) and the self-styled Our Brother (David Lee-Jones), and the frustration of the journalist (Nicole Cooper) at her companions inability to see through the propaganda version he’s being fed.  She also provides linking and background narration, and there photos from the period displayed..  

Lee-Jones gives an enjoyable performance as the the seemingly reasonable dictator with a sharp edge to his moods.  But his closing speeches feel heavy handed, and no real conclusion is drawn.  We already know that brutal dictators are bad men, and that often the ideologues are the worst of all, but there’s nothing new here.  Or am I asking too much from a 50 minute drama?

Wallace (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Something very different for this PPP series opener, a Scottish hip-hop musical, and a trio of players telling a three sided story.  Using William Wallace as their example, the cast expore what it means to be a national hero, and the myths that surround one.  Was Wallace the patriot and martyr he's largely portrayed as?  A violent thug who got lucky because later writers needed a random figurehead to focus on?  Or pure myth, a fiction built on the scantiest of facts?  Each takes it in turn to put forward their arguments, to build and destroy the stories around the name.  And questions why some (always men of course...) become the memoties of a nation, while others, who may have contributed far more (Andrew de Moray is the chosen example) are ignored by popular history, despite their well documented achievements?  And there's one statement that we can all agree on the Braveheart film was shite!

It's a shame that the lyrics sometimes got drowned out by the soundtrack (especially during the expositions of Patricia Panther), because there was a lot of thought provoiking material.  Why does a nation need myths and heroes to define itself, who gets to choose which ones gain prominence, just how reliable is the history we're given?  

Stong performances, plenty of humour.  Everyman characters - Dave Hook as 'Scotsman', Manasa Tagica as 'Sassenach' (and a fine, swaggering Edward I he made!), and PP as simply 'Wummin', largely ignored by the story.  This was a refreshing and enjoyable take on our (and wider) historical memory, and what it means to be Scottish.

Looking For Me Friend : The Music of Victoria Wood

Fronted by experienced cabaret act Paulus, and supported on piano and the odd quip by Michael Roulston, the show features, as promised by the title, a wide range of the late Ms Wood's songs, both famous and more obscure.  Because, as Paulus tells us from the start, it takes two men to do the job of one woman.  There's nothing wrong with the voice or the playing, and they clearly enjoy and revere the material.

Woven around the numbers is Paulus' tale of growing up with Wood as an important influence in his life, and then career, even though they never met.  He clearly sees himself as something of a superfan, with considerable knowledge of the national treasure.  So it's a very personal show, and Roulston an enjoyable dry collaborator. There's no denying that it is often entertaining.

But the show stumbles on two counts, one of which I doubt anyone could overcome.  Paulus is very self consciously camp, and the arch home counties persona doesn't always sit well with Victoria's bluff north of England sense of humour.  And even grates at times, feeling OTT in realtion to the memories of the woman herself.  Which also applies to my second quibble.  The lyrics and melodies stand by themselves, but watching this show reminds any Wood fan of just how much came from her own delivery, and how hard it is to replicate.  There was always a sense of something being lost, missing.

Entertaining, but disappointing.

Ivor (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Scarlet (Alice Glass) is a climate activist.  So when her mother Sarah (Laura Harvey) wants to get her a big surprise for her 21st she knows it has to be related to her daughter’s passion.  And Ivor is very big, and very very surprising.  But also an indication that spending a lot of money on a gift  doesn’t guarantee that you’ve fully understood what the recipient is really all about.  Scarlet isn’t about to give up on her plans to tend to Ivor, she and partner Judith (Betty Valencia) have a planet to save.

Mothers and daughters, the generation gap, and the lack of real understanding surrounding climate change are all tackled in this ambitious metaphor.  I won’t give away the nature of the mysterious Ivor, but he is much more problem than solution, a reflection of the misunderstanding of climate issues.  Surreal, often darkly funny, the script doesn’t fully hit the mark, but does provide some food for thought, partly spoiled by an unnecessarily confusing ending.  The acting is decent enough,with some excellent timing. Harvey does the controlling parent well, Valencia perhaps the best in conveying her frustration and desperation with a world that is going down the tubes.

Not the best PPP, but still interesting.

Dancing Shoes (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Donny (Stephen Docherty) is getting on in year.  Craig (Ross Allan) is approaching 40.  Jay (Craig Mclean) is the baby of the trio, But they have a common bond- addiction to drugs and/or alcohol, and a desire for recovery, and that turns the unlikely group into pals.  Trying to support one another as best they can.

That bleak sounding scenario is the background for one of the funniest plays the PPP series has ever opffered up.  Breaking the fourth wall from the start, the audience are immediately drawn in, to a world where humour is one of the strongest lifelines available.

Donny reveals his secret, the reason that keeps hime going.  He dances.  Alone in his room he dances to keep ther world at bay.  When he demonstrates Jay videos, and then posts, and 'Dancing Donny', the internet senastion, is born.  This will test the friendships, and, more worryingly, the commitment to not repeat past behaviours.

It's hilarious.  An excellent script and some great comic timing.  Physical comedy skills too, from all cast members.  There's a lot of action and choreography that keeps the play going at a rapid pace.

But pathos too, reflecting the sensitive nature of the underlying subject matter.  As Craig says, everyone laughs at junkies and alkies, and not in a good way.  The serious moments are brief, by work as sharp counterpoint to the stream of laughs.

Breathtakingly wonderful.

Maddie Morris, Traverse

 I'm sure Morris could become a lesbian folk icon if she got the exposure.  A sweet voice, charming personality and a kibd of innocence about her.  The songs lack true melodic identity, but the lyrics are always interesting, telling stories in themselves.  She has an unusual guitar style that works well as accompaniment

Morris is also an accomplished and amusing storyteller between numbers, often with a self deprecating side to them, which kept the gig rolling along nicely.  

Not the most exciting of acts, but with enough of a difference to mark her out as worth a watch live.

Eilidh, Eilidh, Eilidh (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Writer/Director Lana Pheutan is from Skye, where the play is set.

It’s Saturday night, and cousins Eilidh and Eilidh have missed out on a lock-in, so they break into a remote holiday cottage to carry on drinking.  It’s February, so none of those Air BnBs will be occupied.  Will they?

Boisterous Eilidh (MJ Deans) is a teacher, back on the island after 8 years in Glasgow.  And pissed off that she and her boyfriend are having to live with her mum, because everywhere else is too expensive.  The more reserved Eilidh Beag -wee Eilidh - has stayed on, and lives on her own in a tiny council flat.  Fired up by the boose and her own frustrations, the returnee rants about tourists and English making property too expensive.  While her cousin sees more of the bigger picture, conscious how much the tourists bring to the local economy.  Their banter is entertaining, with a serious undertone.

Things turn darker when the actual resident rushes in wearing a motorbike helmet and pyjamas, and threatening the youngsters with a shinty stick.  They all get a surprise when they realise that this is Ms NicilleMhicheil (Annie Grace), once the highly respected teacher of the 2 younger women.  And the situation reveals more about the island property scene than any of them had realised.  

A well crafted script provides a lot of laughs, and an optimistic ending, but doesn’t shy away from the darker problems that communities like these face from locals being priced out of their own homes.  While all 3 actors are excellent, Chelsea Grace as the more cautious girl brings an extra layer of subtlety to her performance that underwrites the complexity of the situation.  

Another excellent contribution to the PPP canon.  

Kev Campbell Was He (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

There aren't many plays which begin with the hero running in and getting himslef plonked down on the toilet with a sigh of relief, but that's the unusual opening of this one man performance, written by and starring Alexander Tait.  He plays the eponymous Kev, a working class man who almost does, but does not quite, fit in with his pals.  It takes a chance meeting with a stranger, who becomes his mwentor and new friend, to make him realise that there is another world he could fit into.  Even if it means having to leave his present behind him.

Tait delivers an energetic performance, not just as Kev talking direct to the audience, but also the voices in the dialogue - old best pal, new nest friend, and Moira, his slightly scary boss.  Using parallels with The Great Gatsby, the difficulties of moving from one world to another are clear, because they have very different standards.  In his old life 'gay' is a common slur, in his new it's just what people are.  Yet it's hard to defend the new world against the old, the one that's nurtured him for so long, and hard for the new to understand the old.  The drama lies in trying to resolve that conflict, and deciding who he is.

The set (above) provides 5 seats for different locations, an idea that works well.  But the drive comes from Tait, who is mesmerising at times.  He's a man to look out for.

Dookin' Oot (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Diane (Jannette Fogge) has had enough.  She's made it to 70, had a decent enough life, but now the body is packing up.  She's confined to her flat, seeing nobody except her carer Julie (Helen McAlpine) and young postie Connor (Kyle Gardiner).  Fortunately she has seen a solution to her problems - Dignitas.  A solution well beyond the grasp of her financial situation.

Julie's life a is a mess too.   Her abusive husband is getting too much to cope with.  But she has an idea how to make money for both her and Diane).  She'll become a dominatrix!  But how to make a start?

Connor has the answer - Onlyfans.  So he sets up the tech side and then the adventure begins.

It's very much played for laughs, and borders on good old-fahsioned farce at times.  But there are some serious undertones too, about the invibility of middle aged and elderly women, and the need to die with dignity.  Three strong performances, notably from McAlpine.

A hularious romp with a message should you choose to look for it.

Heaven, Traverse

 Mairead (Janet Moran) and Mal (Andrew Bennett) have been married for a couple of decades now. They're best pals, they say, but are they still husband and wife? Were they ever really?

They're back in Mairead's home town for her sister's wedding. From the city to an insular place where life has stood still and she finds many familiar faces. Not least her old lover, the one who she never forgot. While Mal is left to his own devices, falls off the wagon and lets himself indulge his long repressed fantasies. Both takes paths they had not expected, but are they really going to diverge?

The play takes the form of alternating monologues, her then him then her then him, as each talks about the self they've kept inside, and the person they have lived with. The technique emphasises their separateness, but their words also show their affection and understanding for one another, each explaining things that the other can't even admit to themselves. It's a perfect illustration of how lives can be so interconnected and so far apart, and of how long term relationships will often keep afloat long after the thrill of the launch has departed. That affection and dependence can take many forms.

It's a smart script, with plenty of Irish humour, and a few surprises. Two strong performances, but I sometimes felt I was losing my hearing during Moran's sections. But could hear every word Bennett uttered. It's a shame, as I'm sure I missed some good lines from the lack of projection.

Overall a very satisfying performance, and one that ends before you were expecting it, which is always a good sign. Well worth seeing.  

Triptic, Traverse

Take 3 members of the much lamented Moishe's Bagel quintet, and give them a good cause to support.  This was a benefit gig in support of Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP), one of the most important and essential charities currently operating.

The trio are Greg Lawson (fiddle), Phil Alexander (piano and piano accordion) and Mario Caribe (upright bass and guitar).  Togerther they play an eclectic mix of tunes from around the world, a few composition so their own, and the audience is taken, musically, to Brazil, Argentina, Cuba, Ukraine, Russia and beyond.  The arrangements are often complex, and at times it feels like all 3 unstruments are paying their own melodies, albit ones that jigsaw so well together.  They's a joy to watch too.  Caribe and Alexander exchanging smiles, grins, glances, while Lawson brings drama in his body language as well as his playing.  He has an incredibly pure tone to his sound, no doubt a product of his classical background.  

They're good storytellers too, by way of introducing their numbers.  Notably Lawson's tale of approaching a policemen for directions, whilst too stoned to realise that the spliff in his hand might attract the worng sort of attention!  (He was lucky to find a very relaxed constable...)

Fun, depth, top class musicianship and some wonderful tunes.  An exceelent way to spend the evening.

Dean Owens and the Sinners, Traverse

The annual pre-Xmas Dean Ownes gig is not to be missed.  This year, to allow a (much) bigger audience in, it moved from the usual cafe-bar location down into Traverse 1.  Dean confessed he was nervous about the switch, worrying that not enough tickets would sell to justify it.  It was a sell-out!

With good reason.  This is always a December treat for Dean's big local following.  On this aoccaison with full band.  Dean on guitar and vocals (and whistling), long term sidekick Craig Ross on lead guitar, Adam McMillan on bass, Andy Duncan at the drum kit, and Philip Cardwell blowing trumpet.  The latter indicating that Owens is still very much in his TexMex phase.  The first half was mostly newer material, much of it from the album to be released next year, including several songs no live audience had yet heard.  The second set dived more into the back catalogue, with some very familiar singlaong numbers included (such as Raining in Glasgow).    

Dean was as good as ever, Craig Ross in fine form, and the crowd loved it.  I'm already looking forward to next December...

Rachel Walker and Aaron Jones, Traverse

Very professional.  Two good voices, two good musicians.  She the purer of tone, on keyboards, he with the more distinctive sound, on guitar and mandola.  A set of songs from their new album, and a couple from their last one.   Mostly slow paced ballads, in a mix of Gaelic and English (she’s from the Gaeltacht, he from the north of Ireland), almst all telling sad tales.  They can both relate a story too.

But.  While enjoyable enough, as a show it lacked variety of pace and tempo, lacked laughs, lacked any Wow moments.  Pleasant, gentle, mildly entertaining.  And ever so slightly soporific.

But full marks for ending with the beauty of The Broom o’the Cowdenknowes...