Wild Rose review – heart-grabbing musical of the Jessie Buckley-starring film
In this fast-moving, heart-grabbing new musical by Nicola Taylor, directed by John Tiffany, we follow Rose-Lynn – a star performance from Dawn Sievewright – as she stumbles, staggers, dances, sings and fights her way along the path to self-realisation, backed all the way by a mood-shifting eight-piece band country-kaleidoscoping from rockin' rhythms to hushed ballads under Ali Roocroft's toe-tapping direction.
Taylor's storyline, based on her award-winning 2018 film starring Jessie Buckley, follows a Wizard of Oz trajectory, mussed up and gritted down, highlighted in the lyrics of the climactic closing number: 'Ain't no yellow brick road/ Running through Glasgow… Ain't no place like home.'
In overcoming obstacles of self-doubt and social deprivation, Rose-Lynn is fairy-godmothered by her art school-trained, bored housewife employer (pitched perfectly by Janet Kumah) and enlightened by an invisible presence (real-life DJ, 'Whispering' Bob Harris, 'appearing' as voice-off in a BBC studio). At times, plot improbabilities require us to do more that merely suspend disbelief: we have to eradicate it from our consciousness. What makes us want to do this is an involving emotional through line.
Rose-Lynn's evolving relations with her three companions – mother (played by Blythe Duff) and children (Lily Ferguson and Alfie Campbell) – are touchingly credible. Their peculiar, particular situation nevertheless connects to anyone who has ever felt torn between family and career. The gradual shift from fracture towards healing begins with their soul-stretching rendering of Peace in this House (who knew Duff could sing like that?).
Changes of tone, tempo and location are executed with the brio of a Texas two-step thanks to an excellent creative team and Tiffany's clear-sighted direction. In Sievewright's generous performance, the mega-watt Rose-Lynn commands the stage without dominating an impressive ensemble in which every actor/singer and musician shines.
Wild Rose is at the Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, until 19 April
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