The Month in Scottish Theatre: April 2019
The coming of spring brings with it not one but two stage adaptations of Greek myths, the Scottish premiere of a long-awaited musical, and stories of migration, change and hope
While Paper Memories – the latest co-production from Platform, Vision Mechanics and Jabuti Theatre – opened at Platform, Glasgow on 29 March, it’s touring around Scotland in April. This highly visual piece of theatre for children aged seven and up combines music, aerial, dance and puppetry to tell a story that’s universal, affecting and very timely. Tali is a refugee girl who arrives in Scotland with her family, desperate to fit in and forget the world they’ve left behind. Told to embrace her new life at the expense of her old one, Tali watches her family try to refuse their past – until her family realise that actually, it’s their memories that make them stronger, and that will keep them together in the long run.
Another show that started on 29 March, but is getting included anyway, is Company of Wolves’ Achilles, which opened at Cumbernauld Theatre, and is about to embark on a UK tour. Starring Ewan Downie, this piece combines storytelling, dance and song, reimagining this classic Greek myth and was a sell-out show at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The musical adaption of Roald Dahl’s story of Matilda, an extraordinary little girl with an incredible mind – the aptly named Matilda the Musical – opens at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 2 April, and runs until 27 April. With a book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, this show has won an astonishing 85 awards since its premiere in 2010.
One of the first plays to take to the stage this month is the world premiere of KITH, from Primal Dream Theatre, which runs from 3-6 April at Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh. Combining storytelling, spoken word and poetic staging, this tale of migration and homecoming follows Dani, the son of a woman who fled conflict in the Balkans and found safety in Scotland. But Dani’s mother has kept her story secret, and Dani feels that he doesn’t belong anywhere. When she dies, his world goes into free-fall and he embarks on an odyssey to find out who he is.
Achilles. Photo: Brian Hartley
Opening at Perth Theatre on 5 April is Dogstar Theatre’s The Tailor of Inverness. The universally acclaimed international hit play, written and performed by Matthew Zajac, is touring Scotland for the sixth time during April and May. Based on the life of Zajac’s father, Mateusz, the play originally premiered at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh in 2008. Since then, it’s been performed around the world and is a cry for refugees, for Europe, and for those affected by war everywhere.
Scottish Opera Young Company (formerly Connect Company, for performers aged 14-25) is set to return to The Beacon in Greenock (6-7 Apr) to perform one of Gluck’s most popular and enduring works, Orfeo & Euridice, based on the myth of Orpheus. Conducted by new Artistic Director Jonathon Swinard it stars professional singers Daniel Keating-Roberts (The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, 2016) as Orfeo and Jessica Leary (Pop-up Opera, 2018) as Euridice. A dancer from Dance Studio Scotland at Glasgow Clyde College also joins the cast.
If you fancy a classic musical, then Edinburgh Music Theatre’s revival of Sweet Charity at the Church Hill Theatre, Edinburgh, runs 16-20 April. Following dancer Charity Hope Valentine as she searches for love in the strangest places in 1960s New York. As well as featuring enduring musical classics by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, like Big Spender, Edinburgh Music Theatre's production will also feature massive dance numbers inspired by Bob Fosse's original and unmistakable choreography style.