Wee Man @ The Studio, Edinburgh
Barrowland Ballet's Wee Man is a must-see for any man, and those who know them
Guys, listen. It’s really good. Barrowland Ballet's show Wee Man sensitively and intelligently dissects modern masculinity whilst being hugely enjoyable. Moreover, the dancers’ eventual football costumes remind the audience that dance is, in fact, a sport. If anything, it is more challenging, in that it requires all the same strength, stamina and coordination with the added pressure of precise time limits. This is not to say Wee Man is choreographed to the last centimetre – Natasha Gilmore’s choreography instead has a flexible, dynamic quality, making the onstage action not only real, but unpredictable.
If I could permit myself one criticism, it would be that a couple of the dancers occasionally verged on clumsiness. But then again, for a show which rewrites masculinity as inclusive, it’s important that different skills are represented, as well as different bodies. And it’s wildly impressive when the show’s Youth Squad lift the heavier Senior Squad above their heads – to do so at all is difficult, to do it convincingly is awe inspiring.
The cast of Barrowland Ballet's Wee Man. Photo: Andrew Perry
Wee Man is also accessible in its use of language. Wordless ballet can verge on incomprehensible, but having sat beside the subwoofers, I can say that Luke Sutherland’s compositions are brilliant. Wee Man’s spoken ‘rules of masculinity’ (from text led by Kevin P Gilday) allows the audience to think with their brains and not just their eyes; my favourite was dancer Kemono L Riot asking, "What’s your favourite colour? You don’t have one." Hilarious.
The unique selling point of Wee Man is its inclusion of local men in each touring performance. They don't do Parsifal James Hurst's robust gymnastics or Leo Convey's unhinged contortions, but the generosity of Barrowland Ballet to share its performance like this was joyous.
Wee Man, reviewed at The Studio, Edinburgh. Touring to Lanternhouse Theatre, Cumbernauld, 31 May; Johnstone Town Hall, Johnstone, 13 Jun; Assembly @ DanceBase, Edinburgh, 5-10 & 12-17 Aug