Orphans: The Musical
National Theatre of Scotland, King’s Theatre, Edinburgh
Peter Mullen’s 1998 pitch black comedy film ‘Orphans’ has been transposed to the stage in musical form, thanks to a germ of an idea from director Cora Bissett that has grown to gloriously full bloom in the hands of a veritable dream team of creatives.
The story centres on the four Flynn family siblings as they are faced with the confusion of grief after their mother Rose’s death and ask themselves in song ‘What Happens Now?’ The four start to unravel in their own way with the oldest son, Thomas Patrick (Robert Florence), determined to sit all night in vigil at his mother’s coffin as it rests in church. Meanwhile his brothers, John (Dylan Wood) and Michael (Reuben Joseph), head to the local pub where Michael gets stabbed, and John seeks revenge. Then their sister, Sheila (Amy Conachan), escapes in her less than reliable wheelchair to head home alone.
In the scenes that follow, designer Emily James’ astonishing set is both literally and symbolically pivotal to the show. Her Southside Glasgow sandstone tenements, with their wally closes and bulgin windaes (tiled walls and bay windows), spin and morph to an old drinking shop; a Catholic church interior made celestial by Lizzie Powell’s lighting and the tenement interiors of various social classes.
Song writing duo, Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly, whose repertoire runs to 25 songs over the 2-act performance, are completely in tune with the show’s ethos providing a fantastic range of songs all sung with gusto by the entire cast from the foot-stomping ‘Ram It’ to the poignant ‘Ah Want Ma Mammy’ and the outrageously unforgettable (but unprintable!) ensemble piece in the first act.
The rhythms and realities of Glasgow speech are captured with pin sharp accuracy by Douglas Maxwell who wrote the stage adaptation of this unashamedly working class and unashamedly Scottish piece of musical theatre. It is healthily irreverent with multitudes of sweary words woven through vibrant music and stonking dance moves, brilliantly choreographed by Vicki Manderson and fantastically performed by the ensemble, showing the complexities of family life and underlying love. This multi layered work exposes the heartbeat switch of male tenderness to violence with the song ‘A Storm is Coming’ and the vulnerability of being human in ‘Why Fight It?’ is laced throughout with gallus Glasgow humour and the acute sense of the absurd that informs so much of Scottish humour.
Some cast members stand out in this superb ensemble - Amy Conachan who brings a refreshing new slant to the character of Sheila as she sings ‘Ram it’; Robert Florence with his deadpan comedy skills in his portrayal of the earnest Thomas exemplified in his rendering of the song ‘Picking up the Pieces’; Louise McCarthy in her variety of larger than life comic roles across the piece and Harry Ward for his utter authenticity as Tanga who sings ‘Are you Gonnae Take That?’.
Peter Mullan’s feature film ‘Orphans’ has become a cult classic of European cinema. A musical about grief may not sound like a barrel of laughs, but ‘Orphans’ is just that, with a few tears added. It deserves to take legs and claim its place in the canon of vibrant Scottish theatre.
Orphans soundtrack is available to stream and purchase from all major platforms
Running time: 3 hours
Age recommend 16+
This review was first published on Radio Summerhall Arts