Following its Dundee preview dates earlier in the spring and a hit run at the Traverse Theatre during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, the ‘View musical’ (as it’s been somewhat inaccurately dubbed by some) finally made its official Dundee Rep debut this week.
With such a rigorous development process behind it, the results are well-honed and work beautifully onstage, even though the subject matter isn’t what many might expect.
The music is written by Kyle Falconer of Dundee rockers the View, but none of their songs feature. Instead, this piece of musical gig theatre is drawn entirely from his 2021 solo album, No Love Songs for Laura.
A loose concept record in its own right, the album was a tribute to Kyle’s wife Laura Wilde, its title an in-joke between the couple about him never writing any romantic songs for her.
Laura is the co-writer, with experienced Scottish theatre-maker Johnny McKnight, of No Love Songs the play, which partly tells her and Kyle’s own story through characters who are similar but not the same.
Life as rock star parents, we come to discover, is no bed of roses.
A two-hander starring Dawn Sievewright as Lana and John McLarnon as Jessie, he’s a much smaller-time musician than Falconer, but he’s successful enough that he and his band earn American support slots which take them away from Scotland for weeks on end.
Meanwhile, Lana (whose name fits nicely with Laura’s in the already-written songs) struggles at home with their unexpected child, with no support to hand.
In scenes which are powerful, but no doubt hard to watch for anyone who has experienced similar, she develops post-natal depression – just as Laura did, although not quite the same as Lana.
Dundee Rep’s Andrew Panton and Tashi Gore direct with pace and energy, which comes through in the natural warmth, humour and pain the couple experience together.
It has the feeling of a barroom gig – the actors are also great singers, and songs written by a bona fide pop success to work with no doubt helps – but by its nature not all of this very human and relatable play is upbeat.
No Love Songs is at Dundee Rep Theatre until Saturday September 9. It was seen at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
