Review #5: Wrong Tree Theatre's 'Sounds of Solstice'
‘Solstice’, a play based on an original story by Jake Hathaway, started out with the best of intentions. Combining Norse mythology with interpretative dance and a five-piece band, it promised a unique way of engaging with a mythic world that can often seem distant and alien. Sadly, the end product failed to live up to its ambitious creative vision.
Before going any further, some allowances ought to be made: one of the main characters, Lucy Nicholson, injured her knee before the performance, forcing the cast and Director (Henry Fell) to assemble a ‘dramatic song cycle’ instead of the original play.
Bearing all this in mind, it is perhaps unsurprising that the hour-long, revised version of ‘Solstice’ (dubbed ‘Sounds of Solstice’) that was put on in the DSU felt disjointed and perplexing at times. The combination of spoken word and musical interludes left the performance in an awkward position: neither play, nor concert, it was difficult for the audience to know how to respond. There were moments of brilliance: the cold, imperious Anais Dahl stood out as Queen of the Seasons; the band also produced some fine work, especially during the scene where Henry Fell as a hapless human was sacrificed to the Queen. However, the marriage between the drama itself and the music it was set to always felt a little dysfunctional. By attempting to shift the focus onto the musical compositions, but retaining some of the spoken elements of the piece, ‘Solstice’ ending up being neither one thing nor the other.
As a consequence of this awkward positioning between forms of performance, certain features of ‘Solstice’ were left underdeveloped. Henry Fell’s character left a lot to be desired as he often showed a tendency to underact. Fell grew into the role as the performance went on, so this may be just a case of opening-night nerves.
Another area which needed development was the relation of the mythology itself. This was most palpable in the scene in which Athena Tzallas and Henry Gould sat on the floor and told old Norse tales. Both their stories were engaging enough; however, after having completed their brief narrations, the performance moved into an interpretative dance that felt out of place and unsatisfying. As a play drawing on Norse mythology, ‘Solstice’ needed to include more of that mythology in order to channel its very unique and attractive unfamiliarity.
With such a wealth of mythology to draw on, the absence of mythology was disappointing. Of course, given the adverse circumstances surrounding the play’s genesis, it is understandable that parts of it felt inchoate and in need of expansion. One can only hope that the original version of ‘Solstice’ contains more of the mythology which forms its subject matter and inspiration.
‘Solstice’ in its present incarnation showed signs of promise, but never quite managed to overcome the difficulty presented by losing a main character days before the show. Still, I applaud their tenacity in not cancelling the show as a result of this loss, and I’m sure that by the time they get to the Fringe, ‘Solstice’ will be a much more coherent affair.
Photograph by Wrong Tree Theatre
