Fringe Review: THE SINGER, Traverse 1 at Traverse Theatre
Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
As part of TravFest 26, Cora Bissett has adapted her short film The Singer, which she wrote with Jamie Rea, for the stage. The Singer tells the story of Joe, a deaf artist who ‘sings’ with his hands, and the friend and collaborator he finds in Andy, a struggling musician who is trying to find his next hit.
Bissett has written the book for the play. Her book utilises an interesting mix of naturalistic scenes and poetic narration that, generally, works well together. The storytelling is elevated by the songs written by KT Tunstall which are not only great songs but provide insight into the characters’ lives, even if the show isn’t a traditional musical.
Most of these songs are performed live by musical theatre favourite Dylan Wood who plays Andy. He demonstrates his exceptional ability as a singer and a guitarist in this production, as well as his acting talent. Wood’s performance is incredibly natural and believable. We long to see him become the good father that he aspires to be. We long to see him find stability and security.
Wood builds a brilliant and believable rapport with Jamie Rea who plays Joe. Rea pours his heart and soul into this performance. His passion to see the deaf community seen and heard by people in the wider world is infectious. His singing through sign is beautiful to watch and fully proves that signing is not an inferior means of communicating. The play takes us on a rollercoaster of emotions as Joe and Andy’s friendship ebbs and flows, helped by how truthfully Wood and Rea deliver their performances.
Completing the cast are Hannah Jarrett-Scott and Petre Dobre as Oracles or, in other words, narrators and a multitude of other characters. The two work together brilliantly as Dobre signs the words that Jarrett-Scott speaks. At times, their characterisations feel a little over-the-top and played for laughs, which is jarring against the naturalism of Rea and Wood’s characterisations. However, they are wonderful when they’re playing Joe’s grandparents and they completely sell playing Andy’s daughter. Jarrett-Scott also showcases herself as an accomplished musician, playing numerous instruments throughout the show and delivering stunning vocals on the songs that Wood doesn’t perform.
Jenny Booth’s fairly simple set design is incredibly adaptable, taking us to a myriad of locations and we always know exactly where we are. Daniel Hughes’ creative captioning fits into the set design very well and the captions, combined with Garry Boyle’s sound design, helps the hearing audience to empathise with the experiences of the deaf characters. Boyle’s sound design of the musical numbers is also excellent - we hear every word completely clearly.
The Singer is perhaps one of the best portrayals of the deaf experience on stage and it is refreshing to see a heartfelt story of male friendships with no romance to be seen in the plot anywhere. It is one of the few TravFest shows not quite sold out yet, so get your tickets before it’s too late!
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush