Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid – Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid continues at Zoo Southside – Studio until 25 August 2024.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

A love letter to ancestors who ‘didn’t fit’ – the semi-autobiographical Morag, You’re a Long Time Deid is innovative, poignant multi-layered storytelling.

When Sam inherits her grandmother Morag’s piano, the bequest sets off a whole series of events that she could never have anticipated. The precious instrument arrives with a letter, quoting old Scottish ballads, which suggests that half a century ago Morag was in love with another woman.

A forbidden desire that perhaps partly led to the family leaving Scotland to settle in Canada, and ultimately to Morag’s struggles with anxiety and depression.

Sam becomes fully invested in her grandmother’s story, trying to piece together the life of a person she never actually met and yet can identify with. And while Morag was never able to embrace her queerness, Sam is encouraged to discover her authentic self as the journey progresses.

What adds to the impact of Claire Love Wilson (original story and concept) and director Peter Lorenz’s writing is the original approach to the storytelling and staging, using loop technology to create an ongoing soundscape via musical instruments (including of course the piano) and interweaving that with dialogue and lyrics.

While Love Wilson and Sally Zori (also musical director) interact as, say, Sam and her grandfather, they also play a multitude of other roles, using different items of clothing they wear themselves or slip onto hangers on mic stands. While always keeping the balance of the story, they revisit and reinvent the ballads of old to reflect contemporary openness to being queer. It’s a compelling mix of performance art and musical theatre, inviting the audience to engage with the different narrative layers (although I must confess to being reluctant to take part in the mid-show ceilidh!).

The piece could still do with some refinement, and occasionally becomes a bit too inward-looking. Some editing might be welcome too; if feels like the current text has a natural conclusion but goes beyond that and as a result loses some impact.

But there is still much to savour in this powerful show, and I am sure it will warm many a heart on its tour following this run at the Fringe.

Lisa Martland