In a fantastic example of female led theatre at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Nine Muses debut their new chamber musical, Woven at Greenside Venues. Directed by Molly Kinnon, the musical takes inspiration from Homer’s The Odyssey.
When a highly respected US Senator dies, his wife holds a public wake, but Penelope learns more about her husband from the various women who keep turning up than she would have perhaps imagined.
Accompanied by a four piece band, the score is as you might expect for a show set at a wake and is comprised mainly of ballads. It is a really lovely set of songs, and a couple even have an air of Sondheim to them.
The women arrive one by one, greeted by Penelope (Jessa Smith Campbell) and the Senator’s assistant Athena (Eleanore Frances), revealing their secrets as they arrive. It’s an eclectic mix, comprised of ex-lovers, work associates and members of the press. Each essentially has one song to tell their story, the most upbeat of which is ‘Who Knows’ sung by Hera (Victoria Evaristo), it’s a nice change from the ballads, but whether a recent widow would be dancing around her late husband’s coffin with a group of strangers is debatable.
Woven tells a series of stories from the female perspective and all of the cast work well with their associated musical numbers. There are particularly good performances from Mairi Ikegami as Helen and TJ Douglas-Welsh as Calypso.
Penelope seems more forgiving than you might expect, and between leaning on alcohol for support a little too often, they seem to bond much more quickly than is believable. But ultimately this is a musical portraying women supporting other woman and that’s a very welcome thing to see on stage.
This is a very clever concept that would benefit from being expanded out to allow the character relationships to develop at a more believable pace. With an enjoyable score and strong cast Woven may be set at a wake but it feels like the beginnings of a very successful musical.
