A History of Paper
★★★★★ Heartbreaking
Traverse (Venue 15): Thu 1 – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
A History of Paper at the Traverse is a production of rare emotional weight, whose overall impact is out of all proportion to its comparatively small scale.
The world premiere (a Dundee Rep and Traverse co-production) is a musical which Oliver Emanuel and songwriter Gareth Williams were developing from Emanuel’s 2016 radio play before his ridiculously early death last year. Williams, director Andrew Panton and dramaturg Lu Kemp have completed the work.
Emma Mullen and Christopher Jordan-Marshall in A History of Paper. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
It details the relationship between Glasgow neighbours, Emma Mullen’s journalist and Christopher Jordan-Marshall’s bookshop worker and would-be writer. Things get off to an unpromising start in late 1999 when she puts a postcard through his letterbox asking him in no uncertain terms to turn his music down.
That postcard becomes the first in a series of keepsakes that chart their romance such as menus, tickets or some examples of origami niftily performed on stage.
One of the most pressing questions in such productions is whether it needs to be a musical at all. The songs can seem tacked on to an otherwise perfectly serviceable play, but there is no sense of that whatsoever in this script.
rapport
Just as the transitions between dialogue and narration are deftly handled, the music arises from the situation with ease and grace. Mullen and Jordan-Marshall both have an instant believability and charm, and their characters such a rapport, that it seems only natural that they should be giving voice to their thoughts and feelings in this way.
It is rare to see the messy, mystic business of falling in love portrayed so winningly and convincingly on stage; the flip-side to this, of course, is that depictions of loss or grief are correspondingly strong.
Emma Mullen and Christopher Jordan-Marshall in A History of Paper. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
The production reaches a level of intimacy that such two-handed productions often strive for but rarely attain; there are moments of inclusive depth where time seems to stand still.
The dialogue is utterly convincing and the song lyrics by turns bewitching and heartbreaking. The music is often understated but always enticing, with musical director Gavin Whitworth at his onstage piano being an integral part of the story.
Throughout, Panton’s direction is impeccable; there is a flow to the production that compels constantly.
Anchoring a storyline to recognisable events in recent history can come across as contrived and artificial, but here it is done with such commitment and consideration that it works triumphantly. This links with the narrative’s explorations of the importance of paper, the environmental impact of its production and what is gained and lost in a paperless world – ruminations which, once again, are an integral part of the whole.
striking
Which can be said of other aspects of the show – Leila Kalbassi’s set, itself apparently largely made of paper, is striking and beautifully used, while the lighting design of Emma Jones is wonderfully evocative. Ritchie Young’s sound design is notably strong, in a musical that is never over-assertive but always claims the attention utterly.
This is exactly how one of these two-handed musicals should be done. The staging may appear low-key and unassertive but the effect is anything but small-scale. Perhaps in a larger venue it may not have the same impact, but in the surroundings of Traverse 2 it works triumphantly.
Running time: One hour and 10 minutes (no interval)
Traverse Theatre (Traverse 2), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED (Venue 15)
Thursday 1 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Various times (see website for details)
Details and tickets: Book here.
Traverse website: Further details.
Dundee Rep
Thurs 29 – Sat 31 August 2024
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats Thurs & Sat: 2.30pm.
Details and tickets: Book here.
ENDS
