Athens of the North
★★★★☆ Tales of the City
The Hibernian Supporters Club (venue 499): Mon 5 – Mon 12 Aug 2024
Review by Sophie Good
In Athens of the North, Mark Hannah writes and performs an episodic monologue dedicated to the Auld Reekie in this one man show at the Hibs Supporter’s Club for a week’s run at the Fringe.
A struggling father who desperately wants to be there for his daughter; a newcomer following a holiday romance and falling in love with a new city; a woman whose memory is failing her but also recalls the places of her past. This twisting tale tells you of three interwoven lives and their relationship with the Athens of the North.
Mark Hannah. Pic: Elliot Hetherton.
Hannah embodies the three characters who have very different relationships with the city but are somehow tied to it and make it home. He takes you through the streets of Leith and the Old Town, cleverly using the guise of delivery driver to get you there. His descriptions are evocative and accurate and his native accent makes it all the more familiar.
The most relatable thing at this year’s fringe surely has to be the first character’s Alan fruitless quest to make it to St Giles Cathedral in time in his van, beset with challenges and full of frustration.
Directed by Fraser Scott, Hannah switches between the three characters who all have a story to tell. Each has it’s own narrative arc and the whole production hones-in nicely on themes of home, family, love and loss.
ode to an ever-changing city
The content warnings are for swearing and grief – an age old combination and there are plenty of the former and a little of the latter but on the whole it’s a light-hearted and engaging piece that keeps up momentum to the testament of Hannah’s consistent energy and commitment.
Athens of the North will feel very different depending on whether you’re a local, so the backdrop is very familiar and you’ve met these Edinburgh tropes; or you’re a newcomer; a native born and bred, a visitor or have moved here or gone away.
Of course, as an ode to an ever-changing city there is an air of nostalgia to what it is and what it is becoming. Gentrification is a key theme in amongst these predominantly working class voices heard in a venue which is itself steeped in nostalgia and feels like part of the homage to a bygone era.
In the current climate where taking part in or attending the fringe is becoming prohibitively expensive for many, it is refreshing to see a piece which focusses on themes of everyday struggles and which feel a bit closer to home.
An accessible and inclusive piece of theatre which will resonate with many who have any kind of relationship with Edinburgh or those who simply enjoy a braw speil.
Running time: 55 mins (no interval)
The Hibernian Supporters Club, 11 Sunnyside, EH7 5RA (venue 499)
Monday 5 – Monday 12 August 2024
Daily: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Instagram: @markhannah
X: @markthannah
ENDS
