08/03/24

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

One look at the stage in Traverse 1 is enough to convince me that tonight, I’m going to witness some serious musicianship. There’s a complex arrangement of guitars and drums on display, as well as electronic keyboards, a violin, a harmonium and other instruments I cannot even name. They’re all connected by a jumble of leads and microphones that make me wonder how anyone will negotiate their way through it without tripping up. Then six musicians emerge from the wings, pick up their respective instruments and launch headlong into an extended piece of gig theatre that pretty soon has me in raptures.

Devised by Liam Hurley and Jo Mango, A Giant on the Bridge is created from a collection of songs written in Vox Sessions by the inmates of prisons across Scotland. It’s heartening to acknowledge that this joyful music has emanated from such grim beginnings, but here it is: a complex, labyrinthine piece that explores a whole range of different moods, moving from plaintive acoustic ballads to propulsive electric rock.

There are five different narratives here, the performers often breaking the fourth wall to speak directly to the audience. Louis Abbot delivers The Songwriter’s Story, telling us in essence about his daily routine, trying to coax music from troubled prisoners. Kim Grant delivers her Giant Story, a traditional tale about an imprisoned giantess, who has lost her heart to a ruthless king. Jo Mango gives us Clem’s Story; she’s a social worker and poet whose interactions with the daughter of an inmate unlock her own past trauma, while Jill O’Sullivan shares June’s Story, playing the role of a young woman looking after the daughter of her twin brother, D, and preparing for his imminent release from prison. And finally, Solareye relates D’s Story; he’s a man who sees and translates everything that happens to him into a distinctive form of rap.

If this description makes it all sound like a complex jumble, make no mistake: the various story threads are brilliantly interwoven, the narratives cunningly echoing and reinforcing each other, before the strands are drawn together into a heartfelt and uplifting conclusion. I find myself constantly thrilled by the sheer ambition of this production and the way its various goals have been so consummately achieved. The musicians also take on acting roles with aplomb.

It’s not just me who loves this show.. The wild applause from a packed audience is confirmation of how successful – and how unique – this musical experiment is. If you can grab a ticket to see it before it moves on, I urge you to take the opportunity. This is something very special.

5 stars

Philip Caveney