***** (5 stars)
“Stupendous! Stunning! Simply not to be missed”
I’ve not seen the film on which this musical is based – which meant the full force of the drama, the emotions, and the music hit me full force and left me virtually breathless and grasping for superlatives with which to describe this tour de force which had the entire audience on its feet at the end, stamping, shouting, cheering, and applauding so wildly it’s a wonder people’s hands didn’t drop off…
In essence, the story is simple: Rose-Lynn Harlan is a young Glaswegian woman whose passion is for country music. She dreams of going to Nashville, Tennessee, and singing her heart out: her reality is somewhat different. A first drug-related offence has landed her a year’s prison sentence, meaning her mum has to look after Rose-Lynn’s two children, Wynona and Lyle. Released from prison, she finds that the world has moved on, and it doesn’t seem as if there’s a place for her in it. Her place at Glasgow’s Grand Ole Opry has been filled by a long-haired, fairly talentless man (“but at least he’s reliable”); she hasn’t a home or a job; and her children really don’t want to know her – they used to be close, have fun together, but now they just want to stay with Gran. She is desperate to sing – but is she prepared to give up everything else in her life in order to do this?
Wild Rose is a fabulous ensemble piece, with a large cast enthusiastically providing the ever-changing and challenging world in which Rose finds herself. Clever use of backdrops rapidly establishes the scene; furniture and props are part of a complex ballet of scene-changes, and Rose’s frequently-changing outfits are brought to and taken from her with impressively understated but brilliantly worked-out choreography. The ensemble players turn themselves from prisoners to Opry-goers to travellers on public transport; briefly step into the spotlight to play a brilliantly-observed individual and step back to take yet another part in the kaleidoscope of humanity in which Rose struggles to find herself and her family.
The story is a vehicle for a virtually unending stream of country songs, with the exceptionally talented band of eight musicians led by Ali Roocroft at the rear of the stage providing a powerhouse of music and backing vocals throughout the night. Everyone in the cast is extremely good – but oh my goodness what an exceptionally powerful performance comes from Dawn Sievewright as Rose-Lynn. Her voice is the most wonderful instrument with which she expresses every nuance of the bottled-up and conflicting emotions struggling for release: her acting is incomparable – she simply is Rose-Lynn, driven to sing and at the same time shredded by her need for the love that only her family can provide.
The energy crackling and bubbling throughout Wild Rose reminds me of Glasgow Girls – another celebration of Glaswegians’ indomitable spirit. A feisty people who will not be squashed but speak out loudly, fearlessly, and without any attempt to soften or sanitise their utterances – here they are again, lovingly portrayed on stage: and the most outspoken, gallus, wonderful one of them all is Rose-Lynn Harlan, whose closing song finally pours out everything she’s been trying to say all her life.
I could spend many hundreds, or even thousands, more words trying to capture the magic of Wild Rose. I’ll spare you, and just say this is one of the best things I’ve seen on stage in a very long while, and you’d be extremely foolish to miss it. Go and get your ticket now!
Wild Rose, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Runs until Saturday 19th April for more information and tickets go to: Wild Rose | Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
ScotsGay Arts 