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Proving gig theatre doesn’t have to be loud and obnoxious; No Love Songs is an understated yet heartfelt pleasureSummary
Rating
Good
In London after a successful 2023 Edinburgh festival run, Dundee Rep Theatre’s No Love Songs caught me slightly off guard. Why? Well, it had none of the noise and bombast I’ve come to expect with gig theatre. It is sweet and sensitive when others are more predictably punk-like and provocative. I am also pleased to report that, title be damned, the show is packed full of love songs. Good ones, too. You’ll likely leave humming your favourite melody and pondering your favourite lyric. They come from the second solo album by The View’s lead singer, Kyle Falconer. The story, tackling post-natal depression head-on, comes from the direct experience of Laura Wilde, Falconer’s partner, who co-wrote the book with playwright Johnny McKnight.
Despite the serious subject matter, the plot is a broad brush affair: boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, and boy-wins-girl-back. When, towards the end of the show, our girl Lana complains that her life resembles a ‘90s rom-com, it is tough to disagree. There’s also plenty of wry Scots humour to enjoy, especially in the first song when our couple meet, drunkenly shag and fall tentatively in love. Trigger warning alert, though, things quickly get dark. There is bleakness, despair, and a suicide attempt to sing through. The mix isn’t always smooth, and the race to a happy ending feels like skating over a horrendous, heart-breaking experience we learn one in five mothers go through. When Jessie, our boy, returns to win Lana’s heart at the last, it is perhaps too neat, and many questions remain unanswered.
Gig theatre shows, of course, don’t necessarily have to tie up loose ends. They live or die primarily on the quality of the musical performances. Fortunately, Anna Russell-Martin, as Lana, and John McLarnon, as Jessie, both bring genuine star quality to proceedings. They’re backed, in an effortlessly cool fashion, by musical director Gavin Whitworth on keyboards and percussion. The style is definitely more indie singer-songwriter than musical theatre, but that’s unquestionably a good thing. It cuts through any theatrical artifice because, kids, we’re not in Oklahoma or Chicago; we are right here, right now. At times, thanks to soaring voices in beautiful harmony, the music bypasses the brain entirely and hits you right in the heart. It is worth noting Grant Anderson, rather magically, also hits the audience where it matters with his lighting design. His work beautifully showcases his performers, who fully deserve the spotlight whenever their time comes.
Co-directors Andrew Panton and Tashi Gore marshal the action without the slightest pretension. The staging is simple and direct. The set comprises the flight cases, cables, and mic stands you’d expect at your average bar room gig and does everything it needs to. It made your reviewer wonder how the performance would feel in its natural habitat. Why not put it in front of a standing audience, pints in hand, at a genuine music venue so we can sing along and wave our lighters? I suspect it would feel even rawer and more emotionally affecting than it does now.
Despite being constrained by its current form and its few narrative shortcomings, No Love Songs is worth the trip to Elephant and Castle. Thanks to beautiful songs performed by immensely talented performers, it’s a fine example of what quieter, more considered gig theatre can achieve.
From an idea by: Kyle Falconer & Laura Wilde
Songs: Kyle Falconer
Book: Laura Wilde & Johnny McKnight
Directed by: Andrew Panton & Tashi Gore
Musical Direction: Gavin Whitworth
Lighting Design: Grant Anderson
Sound Design: Ritchie Young
Produced by: Dundee Rep Theatre
No Love Songs plays at Southwark Playhouse until 15 June. Further information and bookings available here.
