EDINBURGH 2025: Review: KARINE POLWART: WINDBLOWN, Queen's Hall
Karine Polwart: Windblown is at Edfringe until 13 August
By: Natalie O'Donoghue Aug. 12, 2025
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Windblown is a new piece of theatre written, directed, composed, and performed by Karine Polwart and presented by Raw Material.
In the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, a 200 year old Sabal palm reflects on its time in the glasshouse ahead of being carefully dismantled by chainsaws. It was the oldest specimen in the gardens and Karine Polwart and her fellow composer and sound designer Pippa Murphy were invited to learn more about it before it was removed.
The performance is a mixture of haunting folk songs, poetry and spoken word. Polwart is a captivating performer who manages to make a story about an old sabal palm gripping. We are taken through its origins and then the sort of "living wake" that was held in 2021 for its removal.
Neil Haynes’s set design is hypnotic and works so well for the piece. Lizzie Powell’s lighting design is beautiful and helps create more of a theatrical production.
An incredible composer and lyricist, Karine Polwart is a joy to listen to and the Queen’s Hall is the perfect venue for this piece of theatre.
Photo credit: Mihaela Bodlovic
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