Whisper Walk, an exciting theatre prospect which seeks to examine the strength of human connections both in Edinburgh and beyond, is something Dutch Kails Theatre Company unfortunately fails to execute fully.
The piece, beginning at St George Square Studios, allows the listener to embark on a journey of Edinburgh discovery, exploring lesser-known backstreet shops and quirky locations across the centre of the city. This physical journey centres not just around a love story with the city of Edinburgh itself, and various humorous anecdotes associated with it, but also with the individuals connected to these figures and places. All of these stories are connected by a whisper: unknown, secret stories inspired by the Japanese ‘wind phone’.
Whisper Walk explores the idea of the ‘wind phone’ with its beautifully nostalgic tone, through which the listener becomes emotionally attached to the characters. While a connection is developed intensely in each of the stops on the walk, where this show falls short is the solitary listener. Indeed, the short sound bites at each location offer an individual, almost friend-to-friend style discussion, but where this show fails is in its inability to connect people in the real world. The show misses the chance to connect individuals in real life, something which would be far more exciting in our age of distance from others.
Likewise, the notion of the Whisper Walk, rooted in Japanese tradition and personal memories, forms an exciting proposal by Asa Wember and writer Alexandra Silber, especially complete with the audio tracks to accompany the journeys. However, given the potential of audio technology, it would have been exciting to see background music better blended with the writing itself. The sections lacked any detachment from reality, and as an audience member, I became more focused on the chaos of the Edinburgh streets. For an immersive piece to trigger a reaction, it must suspend or blend seamlessly with its real setting; unfortunately, this is not achieved. The ambition of this brave, self-led piece does have to be applauded, for offering a unique, personal voyage around Edinburgh’s alleys.
Dutch Kails Theatre’s final premise, in creating a museum of the various whispers people leave at a real phone, is a fascinating one. This clever technique allows a final section of human connection at the end of the piece. The final story, the concluding section of the script linking to the Japanese tradition, is written perfectly and serves as an emotional, heartfelt ending which would have been nice to see imbued throughout the piece.
It is a show which flourishes as a concept, though given this format of delivery, fails to engage or remain rooted in a single vision.
