one4review | On 12, Aug 2024

With the wind blowing and haunting music playing, two sisters arrive on the stage. The older sister Mhairi, (played by Emma Gribbon) is immensely protective of her younger sister, wants to stay in isolation and live off the land. She has a special power, but and although she uses it to protect her sister, it is also a curse.

Her younger sister Caoimhe, (played by Laura Milton) yearns to go the village and mix with other people. She dreams of a future with a husband and children, but Mhairi’s protectiveness will not allow this.

Caoimhe has a bruise on her face and the cause of this, and Mhairi’s need for isolation, is revealed as the two sisters struggle to agree the way forward for them. When matters reach a head, tragedy strikes.

This play is brought to us by Cutty Sark Theatre and oozes a sense of the mystical. The script is strong, with themes of our relationship with the land beneath our feet, and the bonds of sisterhood. Emma and Laura portray their characters sympathetically and are completely believable in their roles. The play is only 50 minutes long and therefore the ending is perhaps slightly rushed but it was a very pleasant start to my day at the festival.
****

Reviewed by Rona
theSpace@Surgeon Hall (12th to 17th August)
9.45am
theSpace@Niddry St (19th to 24th August)
1.15pm