Assembly
Roxy, Edinburgh
Four
stars
A man
and a woman sit either side of the aisle on the London train. Their eyes meet
just for a second, but in that fleeting moment a world of possibilities opens
up that sends each on their own personal life and death destiny. As one speeds
towards a cliff top with the intention of throwing himself into the void, the
other carries with her an unopened letter outlining the results of what may or
may not be a life-threatening disease.
From
such everyday beginnings, Jim Harbourne’s piece of lo-fi musical storytelling
blossoms into a rich tapestry of wisdom and experience set in a world where the
decisions you make can change things forever. Harbourne and fellow
actor/musician Kirsty Ella McIntyre are the only people on a stage cluttered
with a pile of musical instruments, a couple of chairs and a sparkly rucksack.
The initial folksy air conjured up by harmonium and guitar patterns soon
becomes the soundtrack to a profound hour-long meditation on choice, free will
and the power of science to zap its way around the universe in an instant,
connecting everything up in its butterfly kiss.
The
understated power of Ross Mackay’s production, presented by Harbourne in
association with the Tortoise in a Nutshell company, comes in the telling. Harbourne
and McIntyre dovetail interlocking monologues inbetween atmospheric interludes
on violin and flute, or else engage with a puppet passer-by who doles out
advice like a holy fool who ends up saving the day despite himself.
It’s a
beautiful construction, and one which taps into a sense of all-pervading
collective anxiety with a gentle charm which never shies away from some of the
raw poignancy of how life can be turned upside down in an instant. Whatever
happens next, Harbourne’s creation is a life-affirming joy worth taking the
leap for every minute it breathes.
The Herald, April 22nd 2019
Ends
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