Written by Morna Young

Directed by Finn den Hertog

Tickets from £15.00

At the risk of conjuring a Prelim exam question: just what is it that secures Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s Sunset Song as one of the most important contemporary pieces of Scottish literature?

But for any who have read the original piece or audiences leaving the Dundee Rep this evening, the gritty, hardened nature of reality amidst the richness of culture and raw coming-of-age narrative know precisely what makes Sunset Song such a devoutly appreciated story. They’re all components which make Morna Young’s adaptation a rousing success with a deep affinity for Scottish folk culture and a profound understanding and appreciation of the landscape that nurtures and supports a history of people.

Even for those who didn’t grow up with the novel (some of us got lumbered with the ‘American Classics’ in High School), the frame of timing of the story, at the onset and through the First World War, certainly channels a deep connection through any audiences. Growing up working, feeding from, and respecting the land is Chris Guthrie, a young girl living with her family by the edges of the small village of Kinraddie. And while the narrative flows through many lives, Chris is the common thread. The surrounding community and the harshness of a rural upbringing all form a cradle as Chris grows into adulthood and eventually becomes a mother.

Accompanying the tremendous work of the eight-strong cast is Finn Anderson’s pulsing soundscape which often finds harmony in moments – always with the threat of the harsh counterpoints of reality just beyond the horizon. It takes time for the planted moments early in the production to sprout and nourish a richness for the script, likely just early-day issues, where some of the script’s more powerful punches and revelations feel a touch withdrawn. Come following performances with a firmer footing, there is little question that Sunset Song will be one of the most effective and competent pieces on Scottish stages once it finds a firmer footing. 

The production’s success is significantly down to design, but also the performers on the Dundee Rep stage – the key to which is Danielle Jam’s incredibly determined central performance as Chris. A conviction in performance which stretches from the page to stage and into the empathies and resolve of audiences in a powerfully believable portrayal. Surrounded by a reliable team, Jam bounces off and finds solace in the likes of Rori Hawthron as Chris’ mother, a tragic figure, and a role which comes with such harrowing pain with elements of sexual assault and abuse, that Hawthorn is commendable in their performance. A ray of light for Chris, Naomi Stirrat’s Will (Chris’ brother) performs the role, vocally and dramatically, with precision and earnestness – imparting a unique moment of the shifting masculine abuses of Will and Chris’ father, Ali Craig a terrifying presence, still managing to showcase some of the simpering vulnerabilities of the character.

Not only contending with an intensive script, a difficult one to perform in its structure, language, and content, director Finn den Hertog works closely with the cast and musician Anderson to take the already strewn earth of the show and erupt it with an immense connection to language and history: continuing a trend (and succeeding far more than others) in incorporating Doric and other dialects of the region into the script. It strays, confidently, into a ritualistic sense of history and culture, Vicki Manderson’s intimacy and movement direction and unquestionable pin in what makes the production flourish in weaving contemporary storytelling with a mythos of land. The movement matches the drone of Ritchie Young’s sound design precisely and allows plenty of the cast to demonstrate physicality, alongside performance (Murray Fraser turning in a broad and weighty Ewan).

Joining the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh in placing a female protagonist at the crux of their stellar Spring season, Sunset Song reaffirms the nation’s respect for Gibbon’s work – broadening the reach to those unfamiliar with it in tremendously ambitious and unyielding ways. This bountiful production, so rich and intense, is one ready to meet audiences with its cultural gratitude, voice, and intimate performances.

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