After holding work-in-progress previews for the production at Fruitmarket Gallery in early 2023, award-winning theatre company Edinburgh based Magnetic North return with the premiere and short run of We Will Hear The Angels is the culmination of a season of events to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary.
The performance uses music, words and movement to explore the ironic power of sad music to uplift us. Co-directed by Nicholas Bone and film-maker Marisa Zanotti, it features an eclectic mix of music performed live by a cast of five performers: Apphia Campbell, Greg Sinclair, Marie-Gabrielle Koumenda, Mia Scott and Nicholas Bone.
We Will Hear the Angels takes its title from Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya. Exploring the loneliness of heartbreak through four characters who find themselves telling their stories to the enigmatic Lou, they find healing through the sublime power of music. The performance features songs by, among others, Hank Williams, Moondog and Orange Juice.
Magnetic North’s Artistic Director Nicholas Bone said “Songs about loneliness and longing – from Purcell’s When I am Laid in Earth to Al Green’s Tired of Being Alone – are so ubiquitous and popular that they must answer some need we have to acknowledge and understand unhappiness. Working with a hugely talented cast and creative team on a development process that began in 2020, we have explored the relationship between music and melancholy through a range of inspirations. Starting with characters from stories by Chekhov and Katherine Mansfield and drawing on the set-up of Hitchcock’s Rear Window. We presented an earlier version of the work as part of a residency at the Fruitmarket in 2023, and I’m really delighted to be back in the beautifully atmospheric Warehouse to present the full premiere of the show.”
Also part of the programme is a screening of Pass the Spoon, the company’s collaboration with composer David Fennessy and artist David Shrigley on 18th December at 7pm, and Aberdeen by David Fennessy on 2nd February 2025 at 6:30pm.
Tickets for We Will Hear the Angels are available at www.fruitmarket.co.uk
Dates and Times:
Friday 24th January 2025
Saturday 25th January 2025 (Press performance)
Tuesday 28th January – Saturday 1st February 2025
Tuesday 4th February – Thursday 6th February 2025
All performances are at 7pm
Accessible performances:
Captioned: 29th January and 31st January
BSL: 31st January and 5th February
Ticket Prices:
£18 full price / £12 arts workers and students / £5 benefits & low-income concession
Fruitmarket, 45 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DF https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/event/we-will-hear-the-angels/
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 