A Wee Home from Home

It’s sometimes refreshing to step away from virtuosic choreography and into the territory of dance without frills. A Wee Home from Home is exactly one of those occasions where the somewhat limited choreographic vocabulary is excusable, even welcome, and the importance of narrative dance theatre is highlighted. Frank McConnell’s choreography is simple but successfully evokes the melancholic memories of a man returning to the Glasgow tenement of his youth. Journeying through his experiences in school, church, at the football and the pub, plan B have created a story in a deeply Scottish humour that embraces both cliché and kitsch to full effect.

Perhaps the biggest plaudit must go to Michael Marra, without whom the piece would lack graceful subtlety. His live music is intelligently utilised alongside the text and dance. It does more than link the events: it forwards the narrative and enhances the atmosphere. Marra’s raw vocal quality adds to the grittiness of the story and, even now, one cannot fail to recognise the Glasgow he describes.

A Wee Home from Home is tightly polished and heartfelt. Each utterance and movement is executed with careful thought in a process that adds to the believability of the piece. Charming and funny, it’s a little bit of Scotland wrapped up in dance.