Eilidh, the last child on the island of Kinnen, stares out to sea and dreams of a new life beyond her lonely island. When a whale calf dies on her beach and a stranger appears on her shores, her life changes forever.
Finn Anderson's score is a masterpiece; a gorgeous blend of contemporary looping and vocal work and hearty Celtic folk, as if Imogen Heap had been born and bred in the Highlands. Each night's score is unique as it is all live recorded and looped back by Bethany Tennick and Kirsty Findlay before the audience's eyes, including rain, the sea and even the glorious drip of water from the ceiling of the deserted school. It's not just clever, it's truly genius. For anyone who grew up in a Celtic community (*raises hand*) this score feels like home, where the elements and the music long ago became one and the same.
Amy Draper's gorgeous and magical direction and concept is completed by Stewart Melton's book, the land to Anderson's sea and Draper's sky: it's a collaboration made in an island paradise. It's an other-worldly family fairytale but yet so starkly real and honest in it's plight of settled communities struggling to upkeep their way of life and resist joining the mainland, literally and figuratively. It's full of heart and soul and ours are both broken and filled, over and over like the tide, by this truly spectacular show. It won the 'Musical Theatre Review' Best Musical Award at this year's Edinburgh Fringe and it is crystal clear why.
This show is a two-hander, with Bethany Tennick and Kirsty Findlay expertly and flawlessly captaining this ship as if they were made for these roles. They are alone on stage with microphones and loop pedals and stations, and atmospheric lighting design by Simon Wilkinson. There is no band, no ensemble, they are re-creating Finn Anderson's score live night after night and playing every character on the island dual-handedly. There is a gorgeous island meeting scene accompanied by a patter, rap-like, song that would have Lin-Manuel Miranda standing to ovation, where Tennick and Findlay, literally, jump between characters quicker than the blink of an eye, changing the Scottish dialect and accent (because YES there really is more than one Scottish accent!) with such ease we meet and remember each and every islander as if they're long-lost friends and relatives. Findlay's Gran is a gorgeous character we couldn't get enough of and playfully antagonises Tennick's spirited and lovable Eilidh, who's at the heart of the piece.
Islander: A New Musical is a timeless, modern fairytale, one that stays with you long after you've left it. You must beg and borrow a ticket to see before it migrates off from Southwark Playhouse on 26th Oct.
Star Rating: *****
Ticket Price: £14 previews (£22 standard, £18 concession)
Venue: Southwark Playhouse, 'The Little'.
Accessibility: Ground floor, fully wheelchair accessible and step-free access, Guide and hearing dog friendly, some performances use the The Difference Engine captioning software (information for which is available at Box Office)
Comfortability: The Little is infamous for getting very hot and stuffy, particularly in the Summer months, un-allocated seating in raked bench-like (with backs) seats, the auditorium was in Arena-style staging for this production but is often in Thrust-style. Excellent visibility of the stage due to the intimate black-box auditorium.