Produced by Moonlight
Review by Marina Funcasta
Lying on a secluded New Town corner, St Vincent’s chapel emerges as a glimpse into a Scotland from long ago. Strewn with candles and families chatting over hot cocoa, the quiet congregation set the precedent for an intimate evening. Brought to life by pianist Matthew Shiel and story-teller Alastair Sim, this cosiness was upheld by a sense of profound love and respect for the country we all live in and the history with which we mark such a celebration.
To be sure, a ‘hootenanny’ wouldn’t be complete without music: with a program encompassing songs from the Scottish oral tradition, a highlight of which was the eponymous Burns’ story Tam O Shanter, to the classics of Auld Lang Syne, the audience was encouraged to sing along almost ceremonially, invoking the memories and traditions of time passed. Truly, Shiel and Sim can pride themselves on creating an atmosphere which is all too often missed in our digital world.
Crucial to this was Emma Shen’s light show. Artist-in-Residence of their company ‘Moonlight’, Shiel, Sim and Shen complete the triumvirate of illustrative storytellers. Puppeteering the evening with perfect balance, each medium provided something the other lacked, providing a multi-sensory experience with a hypnotic effect. By the time Shiel arrived at his performance of Farewell to Stromness, there was a real sense of suspension washing over the sea of glistening eyes. A very special moment indeed, fully to Shiel’s credit. This was one of the songs I hadn’t recognised going into this evening, which made it all the sweeter – a composite of familiar and lesser-known songs, the program informed with subtlety, making you feel a part of a wider history which, though may not be available to all the New Town demographic, is certainly one I left having connected to on a profound, almost spiritual, level.
This all culminated in the second half. After being graced with tea cakes and chit-chat at the rectory of the chapel, itself a quaint space, Sim closes the evening with a rendition of Tam O Shanter and Auld Lang Syne. Narrating with anticipation, the poem was delivered with such potency, punctuated with notes from Shiel’s piano, that it was hard to fight the immersion. Invoking demons and ghouls from old Scottish myths, the poetry itself may have been hard to decipher at points, but the clarity of Sim’s performance meant that even the most cryptic of phrases were not impenetrable to the naked ear.
All in all, Moonlight can pride itself on designing an evening of authentic stories and skilful narration—exactly what is needed on a cold January evening. Ending with a collective rendition of Auld Lang Syne, the spirit of Burns was certainly done justice in this tiny chapel on the end of St Vincents Street.
Authentic and Skilful
‘A Burns Night Hootenanny – Tam O’ Shanter’ was performed on January 25th at St Vincent’s Chapel
Running time – Two hours with one interval
Review by Marina Funcasta (contact@corrblimey.uk)
Marina is halfway through an English literature degree at Edinburgh University, wherein she has been (considerably) involved in the drama scene: enjoying performing with their Shakespeare Company shows, but also modern takes on Arthur Miller. However, Marina’s interests are wide-ranging under the theatre genre – enjoying abstract, more contemporary takes on shows (with a keen interest in Summerhall)
