EDINBURGH 2023: Review: A FAIRIE TALE, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Netherbow Theatre
A wonderful example of a powerful tale that celebrates queerness and allows its characters to be happy after their struggles.
A sexy fairy, goats, and a river of blood in a place known as Elfland. Sounds crazy, no? But, in the world created by storyteller Niall Moorjani and cellist Diana Redgrave, nothing is too crazy.
Moorjani returns to the Scottish Storytelling Centre to tell the tale of a person who wants to find themselves and is whisked away to a magical land to help understand their place in the world. Diana Redgrave accompanies Moorjani with live cello music, creating a beautiful and (pun fully intended) magical atmosphere.
The story begins in a world similar to ours, in which a person is struggling to figure out how they want to present themselves to the world. The inciting incident is a moment that happens before the story in which the main character, a storyteller, is given the opportunity to try on a dress but refuses to in fear of not only society’s response but their own internal response. Soon, they are brought from Scotland to Elfland by a magical being riding a tiger, taken to a place where they can be who they want to be without judgment.
It’s not only a queer story. It’s a Scottish story. It’s a story about race. It’s a love story. It’s a horror story. Moorjani blends a range of genres to tell the tale of the main character, going from casual conversation with the audience in a thick Scottish accent to a description of making love with a gorgeous being whose skin is as dark as twilight. You can go from the storyteller’s shock at seeing a tiger in the Scottish farmland to the creepier parts of Elfhand in the blink of an eye as Moorjani’s voice washes over you in a way that few storytellers have been able to do as well as they can.
Ultimately, A Fairie Tale is a wonderful example of a powerful tale that celebrates queerness and allows its characters to be happy after their struggles. Moorjani is an enchanting storyteller who will take you on an emotional journey, able to switch between characters with the simplest of physical differences and able to describe even mundane things like sitting under a tree in a way that will have you hanging onto their every word.
A Fairie Tale runs at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Netherbow Theatre at 19:30 from 16 to 27 August (no performances on 17, 18 and 23 August).
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