A short drive from Edinburgh towards Stirling brings you face to face with the towering Kelpies. Those magnificent sculptures celebrate one of Scotland’s most enduring mythical creatures, and it is the darker side of that folklore that inspires Turn the Cloth, Cutty Sark Theatre’s latest Edinburgh Fringe offering at Gilded Balloon Teviot.
Blending Scottish folk traditions, live music and creeping horror, this atmospheric 45 minute play offers something a little different from the usual Fringe fare. Written and directed by Eve Miller, it explores superstition, community and the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the unknown.
Set in a small Scottish village as the first storm of winter rolls in, the play follows an annual ritual known as “turning the cloth”. The unmarried women of the community must gather in the village hall, dressed as brides, to ward off a kelpie said to prowl the nearby waters in search of its next victim. Those who fail to take part risk being lured away and drowned.
Maura, played with conviction by Isla Rose Perkins, is sceptical of the village mythology, while Eilidh (Niamh Cox) and Kirsty (Emma Comfort) are far more willing to respect tradition rather than tempt fate. Their uneasy dynamic drives much of the play’s tension. Maura’s attention, however, is fixed on the absence of Blythe (Greer Montgomery), whose failure to appear raises questions that gradually pull the audience deeper into the story.
Through a series of flashbacks, Miller slowly reveals the true nature of Maura and Blythe’s relationship. These moments add emotional depth and help ground the supernatural elements in something more personal. The play’s folk horror atmosphere is particularly effective, aided by an evocative soundscape that captures both the isolation of the setting and the looming threat of the unseen creature.
While the story is engaging, the script does not always make it easy to connect with its characters. Much of the dialogue is sharp, confrontational and argumentative, which certainly reflects the pressure cooker environment of the situation, but it can also create a degree of distance. A little more warmth or vulnerability would have made it easier to invest fully in their struggles.
Nevertheless, Turn the Cloth is an intriguing and distinctive piece of Scottish storytelling. With its blend of folklore, queer romance and supernatural suspense, it contains all the right ingredients. A little more refinement to the script could help those elements come together more cohesively, but this remains an enjoyable and atmospheric Fringe production.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
