Tron Theatre, Glasgow
Four stars
When Jessie met Lana, it was lovelust at first sight. He was a would-be rock star playing covers in dive bars. She was a fashion student trying to make ends meet who ends up watching Jessie’s set on a night out. A couple of songs later and that was them for life. Or so they thought. Having a baby should have been a joy, but turned out to be agony, especially for Lana, who freefalls into deep depression while Jessie hits the big time on tour in America. Whether the one time dream team survive the fallout is a matter of life and death both of them need to confront.
It’s not hard to see the join between Jessie and Lana and The View’s vocalist Kyle Falconer and his partner Laura Wilde, who initiated this semi-autobiographical lo-fi rock musical first seen on home turf at Dundee Rep and on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023.
Using songs from Falconer’s 2021 solo album, No Love Songs for Laura, as its starting point, Falconer’s compositions accompany a book by Wilde and Johnny McKnight. Andrew Panton and Tashi Gore’s revival of their original Dundee Rep production prior to a New York run next spring recaptures the heart and soul of this grown-up grassroots affair.
John McLarnon revisits his portrayal of Jessie with a hangdog charm that captures all the man-boy confusion about where his loyalties lie as he faces up to responsibilities he never knew he had. As Lana, Anna Russell-Martin steps into the role to make it her own as she lays bare the full darkness post-natal depression can bring with it.
The interplay between the pair in what is essentially a verbal and musical duet is a joy to watch, even during Jessie and Lana’s most harrowing moments. The engine room behind all this is musical director Gavin Whitworth, who plays piano alongside McLarnon’s acoustic guitar. The end result is a warts and all depiction of everyday trauma that transcends its painful scenario to become a theatrical anthem for life beyond.
The Herald, October 25th 2024
Ends
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