Land Under Wave
★★★★☆ Enchanting
Scottish Storytelling Centre (Venue 30): Tues 20 – Sun 25 (not 22) Aug 2024
Review by Rebecca Mahar
The Young Edinburgh Storytellers revive their acclaimed production Land Under Wave at this year’s Fringe, and it remains an otherworldly treat.
Imagined as three human storytellers trapped in the land of the faeries, the show invites its audience to become fae themselves, part of the faerie queen’s court, who will sit in judgement on the storytellers and determine which of them is worthy to return to the Land Above.
David Hughes, Mark Borthwick and Ailsa Dixon. Pic: YSL.
Storytellers Ailsa Dixon, Mark Borthwick, and David Hughes, all give different versions of how they came to be trapped in the otherworld, with the clear audience favourite being Ailsa’s account of how she, a ship’s captain, dove overboard upon catching sight of the beautiful faerie queen, like the “U-Hauling lesbian” she is, the others being her “faithful and slightly stupid” cabin boys.
These introductions also set the tone for the queering of traditional tales that is a hallmark of the YES— there’s often plenty of queer subtext to be found in these stories, but the Storytellers bring these readings to the fore.
In turn, each Storyteller spins a tale to compete for their right to return to the land of the humans, while able to stand on their own, are all connected. All three are musicians as well, accompanying themselves and each other with perfectly chosen music, from simple drone-like underscores to the drums of man’s war against nature.
the Salmon of Knowledge
Each Storyteller has their own style, and all are compelling. Borthwick begins with a story about “the way the world is”, about what lore-bearing listeners will recognise as the Salmon of Knowledge; Dixon follows with “a story of love and forgiveness” where an orphaned girl encounters an alluring kelpie; and Hughes concludes with “a story that’s a little bit depressing” about a man who must kill seals for their fur to survive, and falls afoul of the selkies.
David Hughes with Mark Borthwick and Ailsa Dixon. Pic: YSL
On the night that Æ attended, David Hughes was voted the winner by the faerie court (aka the audience), and crowned victor of the competition. After this ceremony, the storytellers came together to tell a final story as a threesome, relating the story of Finegas and Fionn mac Cumhaill, who caught the Salmon of Knowledge and gained its wisdom.
A full sensory experience of storytelling, music, song, and complimentary atmospheric lighting, the only weak point of Land Under Wave is the venue it plays in this Fringe. The Netherbow Theatre at the Scottish Storytelling Centre feels too large for this event, the stage too bare for the three storytellers, the audience too far removed from the performers for it to be truly intimate and transporting. While the theatre was doubtlessly chosen for the show’s previous popularity and ability to draw a crowd, a proscenium theatre is not the ideal setting for such a thing.
Regardless, the Young Edinburgh Storytellers put on a truly wonderful performance in Land Under Wave, and show that the seanchaidh’s art lives on for another generation.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Scottish Storytelling Centre (Netherbow Theatre), 43-45 High Street EH1 1SR (Venue 30)
Tuesday 20 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Daily (not 22): 8.45pm
Details and tickets at: Book here
Instagram: @youngedinstorytellers
Linktree: @YoungEdiStorytellers
ENDS
