Symphony @ Assembly George Square Gardens

By Amy Stow

Nabakov is one of my favourite theatre companies, and I was excited to hear that they had collaborated with accomplished young playwrights Ella Hickson, Nick Payne and Tom Wells to bring Symphony to the fringe this year. This show was not, in truth, what I was expecting, yet it was enjoyable all the same. 4 muso-actors, that all sing and deftly flit between pretty much every instrument on the set, present 3 short plays about falling in (and out) of love, and finding out who you are (and want to be).

The first play sees 16-year-old Jamie Jonesy Jones as he tries to get through his asthma and anxiety to pass GCSE PE; next we have two youngsters on a bus in London, who will never be a match for one another (this is immediately apparent); and finally, another couple that embark on a beautifully innocent relationship, which quickly becomes sullied and sour. There is no theme connecting each playlet; perhaps the music throughout the scenes and monologues provides the link, as it continues to pulsate underneath the poetry of the words.

Some songs in particular are thrilling; the love song to London made me long for our capital and its endless possibility, whilst a sweet song between lovers about pancakes put a huge smile on my face. Alas, the music was both a joy and at times, a curse, as the microphones were either too quiet so that lyrics were masked by the scream of the guitars, or too loud so that words became a jumble. When the balance was just right, however, the story-telling was magical. Whilst more of a through line between the three plays to give some resolution may have dispelled the randomness of the production, in the main Symphony was an enjoyable spoken word gig that may hold particular appeal for young theatremakers from our nation’s capital that may take the occasional bus and hope to find love waiting for them there.

★★★

Symphony (#Symphony @nabakovtheatre)

Assembly George Square Gardens

17:00 (1 hour)

Until August 25th

@PostScriptJour

#reviews