Summer Is Icumen In: A Scratch Night @ Augustine United Church, Edinburgh
With a full run on the horizon at the end of this year, Edinburgh musical theatre group The EdinBards showcases their work in progress
After taking their show on the road to the Traquair House Medieval Fayre in May, Edinburgh-based musical theatre group The EdinBards showcase Nottingham, their work in progress based on the 12th century Robin Hood legend, at this scratch night. The evening features excerpts from the musical and pieces from other projects by members of the cast; from the outset, the show is clear that this adaptation is not Robin Hood in a pro-English, pro-monarchy form, but in an anarchosocialist, powerfully queer form.
The show contains visual and contextual nods to well-known Robin Hoods. Taking the best pieces from each – for instance, the sexy, goth costumes worn by the baddies in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman – Nottingham is shaping up to be a fun, touching rendition of a deeply nostalgic story. The excerpted scenes and songs give a generous peek into the folksy, DIY vibe of the project. The music marries singer-songwriter roots with references to pre-modern folk music performed by a zealous and talented ensemble. One of the salient threads already being teased out in the project is a narrative about the criminalisation of poverty that leads to the story's central conflict. As the monarchy seeks to consolidate power and labour, the "free people" of Sherwood Forest are made outlaws simply by existing.
The scratch night also featured projects by cast members, including excerpts from two projects by Kelly Nickels (Alan-A-Dale) and songs from MYTIKAS, a Greek mythology-themed EP by Dami, a duo made up of Damien Smith (Will Scathlock/Prince John) and Brooklyn Dunsford. Evolve, a live-looping musical piece performed by Nickels and Sylvie Nelson (who together make up the duo Some Strange Harmony), was complex and contemplative. As Dami and in his performance as demon twink Prince John, Smith is a major standout. In Smith's hands, the petulant prince oozes what the kids are calling tboy swag. MYTIKAS is equally compelling; told through Greek figures of legend, Smith's music about transness and coming of age touches a nerve in the best way.
The Edinbards' scratch night showcased some of Edinburgh's most promising up-and-coming talent. Looking toward a full run of the show in December, the group has a tremendous amount of momentum. At its heart, Nottingham speaks to our lives now; it insists that the world we want to live in is ours to build.