We Will Hear the Angels, playing at Summerhall, is presented by Magnetic North, an Edinburgh-based theatre company renowned for integrating music, performance, text, and visual design. Written by Nicholas Bone, this production utilises an ensemble of five actor-musicians to explore the elusive essence of melancholia and how sad songs can express that and uplift us.
Set within the atmospheric confines of Summerhall’s Dissection Room, the performance opens on a thrust stage with the cast moving desks, chairs and props around to a backdrop of sorrowful music. Projected lyrics and text accompany the production, making it accessible while visually enriching the staging. However, this opening sequence drags on for too long, at times feeling more like a drama school movement exercise.
The lack of narrative in We Will Hear the Angels made it difficult to make sense of the piece. Having read the programme afterwards, the influences, ranging from the quiet endurance and unfulfilled loss of the closing moments of Chekhov’s classic play Uncle Vanya to Hitchcock’s Rear Window, became clearer. We watch characters stare longingly out of tenement windows or sit trapped at their desks within isolated pools of light, captured in moments of sorrow. Yet, an audience shouldn’t need to study a show’s background research to make sense of what is happening on stage; we should understand and be engaged without prior knowledge.
As each character’s moment of despair and heartbreak unfolds, their emotional peak is captured by the click of a still photograph, which is then projected onto the screen. It’s a powerful visual device, striking a deep chord in us, if only this had been introduced earlier.
However, the sound of the ensemble in full harmony is nothing short of glorious, featuring Greg Sinclair on cello, Mia Scott on violin, Apphia Campbell on vocals, and Daniel Padden and Nicholas Bone on guitars. Everyone’s vocal work is achingly beautiful. A curated selection of songs from Orange Juice to Etta James, alongside classical excerpts from J. S. Bach, illuminates inner thoughts, enveloping the audience in a pocket of pure musical exquisiteness.
I enjoyed the intense atmosphere created by We Will Hear the Angels immensely. It’s worth going just for the gorgeous score, which is the show’s highlight. However, this production had too many moments that dragged and lacked pace and coherence, preventing us from being truly lifted to the stars.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
