Written by Janis Mackay

Music by Donald Scott

While the coarse howls of the Northern coast of Scotland may conjure up the storms and endless chill of the sea, Writer and storyteller Janis Mackay instead channels the warmth of the region, the people, and the tales they share in a stage-recreation of their two children’s books which form the title of the show.

An amalgam of these two stories, one of Selkies, another of Seals, the drawstring between the pair makes for an easy flow and complete experience – the historical and cultural significance of the myth of the seal-skin-clad beings of the sea, shedding their skins to appear human and walk upon the land. Initially, Mackay turns the show into an autobiographical piece of sorts, charting a course to venture North in search of a tale to spin into a storybook.

Armed with an orange, an apple, a cup of coffee and a much-needed scarf, Mackay is joined by an eager audience and musician Donald Scott to provide additional levity and live instrumentals. There’s a richness to the narrative nature of Mackay’s storytelling, with gentile murmurs and encouragements for the younger audience members to join in on the experience of turning the Netherbow Theatre into the shores and cottages of the Highlands and Islands.

Time halts for Mackay’s words, turning the fifty-minute set into a comfortable pace which draws out the sensory imaginations with bonfires, salted sprays and roasted fishes as they spin tales of Selkies making human friends, and seal pups lazing in the morning dew – a touching metaphor for the youngsters in the audience perhaps expressing their first steps of independence.

With Donald’s live music and some spins on a couple of well-loved sea shanties. They come complete with a magnificent conch to bellow out into the audience, a much-needed level bass beat amidst the softer and gentle score. But few things can distract from the strings that captivate and weave the production’s wistfulness to new heights. A remarkable beauty in the cleanness and simplicity of authentic storytelling is the imperative skill to wrap a familiar tale into a new skin – a Selkie would be proud.

Mackay’s ability to transition this fable into a warming, quaint, and inviting space for all ages makes for a corker of a show, one perfectly sculpted for the littlest of seals or the eldest of Selkies and Sea captains. Wee Seals and Selkies offers an accessible serving of Scots Storytelling to the masses: told with pride, enjoyment and a firm grasp of the history of the craft and the promise of the future.