Libretto and Performed by Cécile McLorin Salvant

Composition by Darcy James Argue

There’s a regret, of sorts, in covering single-night events.

Cécile McLorin Salvant: Ogresse at The Festival Theatre, part of the Edinburgh International Festival, is a shining example of the deep-panged guilt of not being able to share the experience with another the following evening. A masterpiece of harmony in tying together the contemporary with the past, roots firmly and gorgeously interweaving traditional folk and storytelling with the visual mechanics and audio of a new world.

Steeping itself in the familiar fable, this musical journey of myth and song from Grammy Award-winner Cécile McLorin Salvant takes elements from generations of Haitian, Slavic, European and traditional folktale and (tragic) truths, with a flavouring of other cultures tossed into the pot to offer an encompassing and reaching tale.

One of nightmares, of a foul beast living within the darkness of the surrounding woods. More specifically, an Ogress, enormous and powerful, capable of swallowing men whole. But when one man thinks of a way to slay the Ogress, the lovesick monster takes to the man, drawing him closer to her bosom. Contorting the tale of Erzulie, a Haitian goddess, with reflections of the accounts of South African women exhibited as ‘freakshows’, Ogresse still maintains a tongue-in-cheek approach to its cyclical storytelling methods.

Like the most pleasing of tales, Ogresse is a fairytale experience garbed in contemporary dialogues of sexism, power, racism and one of female autonomy and othering at the hands of so many heroes and colonisers. The libretto, constructed by Salvant, unfolds the tale of this ‘monster’ seduced by the man intent on killing her and evolves into this light-hearted, but heavy souled opulence of profound anger and rage.

And like the truly magnificent tales, music is as much a part of this storytelling experience as the performance is. Jazz ripples through the 17-strong score with a heaping blend of folk songs, country and even some more Baroque periods. Performing throughout, Salvant is joined by a thirteen-piece orchestra, a tremendously talented band who dive deep into the dark and poignant nature of the fairytale but are always able to salvage the audience and bring them back into the world outside with a soft twinkle or strum, led by orchestrator Darcy James Argue. It aligns magnificently with the accompanying animations, projected above Salvant to further the multi-faceted storytelling mechanics.

With the production of Ogresse currently in development to emerge as a full-length animated feature, directed by Cécile McLorin Salvant, it’s little wonder that the accompanying animated sequences unfolding above the live band are of such distinct quality and richness. Every element of this evening threads back to Salvant: the programmes, the decals of the theatre, and the visuals of it all speak before the show even begins; It’s a show unlike any other. Salavant’s artistry and lustre for it all switch tones as cleanly as the colours which erupt in the animations above, whispering the composition and superb emotional storytelling through the theatre, out of the doors, and glistening across the Edinburgh Festival season.