Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour – Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour at the Traverse Theatre.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

From the butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-our-mouths opening choral piece, this team of young women have us with them from the get-go. Following this up with: “Everyone else gets to sing about love and death. We get to sing about livestock” takes us with them into the reality of their humdrum rural life in Oban as they prepare for the trip to the capital to participate in a choir competition.

Every member of the six-piece ensemble has a distinctive look and character to them. This is valuable as each in turn play many cameo roles, often with little to signify the change in role other than their voice or demeanor. The ensemble playing is top quality: the support and quality of listening is immaculate and creates pure focus for the audience.

Above all, this is rip-roaringly funny. Genuinely laugh out loud moments come thick and fast in Lee Hall’s script. His ear for dialogue is simply superb and captures each distinct voice perfectly. The plot of the bus trip to Edinburgh and subsequent downfall of the angels in the choir before a rather crestfallen return to Oban is perfectly paced. Hall and director Vicky Featherstone have worked seamlessly in taking the audience into the inner sanctum and hilarious warmth of this group.

An onstage band of three more women provide super-tight renditions of a great amount of ELO’s back catalogue by way of musical accompaniment for the play. It remains a mystery as to why ELO is chosen as the material doesn’t seem to have any particular resonance with the context. Well performed by all, without doubt, but how wonderful would it have been to have original material?

Particular attention ought to go to Karen Fishwick who is not only perfectly cast as Kay, but her characterisation range is vast and delightfully distinct. Melissa Allan is infinitely touching as Orla: a promising professional debut.

The finale moves away from ELO to Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman No Cry’. Rendered in spinetingling harmony, the tears in the girls’ eyes are speaking of that which is yet to come once the final curtain falls. A magical moment.