list.co.uk/festival Theatre As Gig | FESTIVAL THEATRE
P H O T O :
M H A E L A B O D L O V C
I I
Greater Belfast
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Can music lend theatre the vital power of rock’n’roll? Gareth K Vile explores fi ve shows at this year’s Fringe where live music is key
A s the careers of David Bowie, Roger Daltrey and countless others have made clear, the connections between rock music and theatre have inspired some of the most exciting performances of the past 50 years. This year, across the Fringe, theatre is returning the compliment by enlisting rock music and bands into their productions.
Putting the Band Back Together emerged from director Annie Rigby’s regret at not having time to play music and a meeting with a regular collaborator. ‘Mark Lloyd was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. When his wife, Kylie, asked him, “What do you want to do with the time you’ve got left?” his i rst reply was, “I want to put my old band back together”.’ Inspired by Lloyd and realising how central music is to many people’s pleasure, she hooked up with former Futureheads frontman Ross Millard to create a play that allows audiences to recall their past glories.
‘By coming to a pre-show workshop, anyone can join the performers to play or sing live as part of the show,’ explains Rigby. ‘The show celebrates talent, yes. But more importantly, it celebrates doing the things you love, and not worrying if there are a few wrong notes along the way.’ Following Lloyd’s passion, the show brings together working musicians, members of the public and a moving true story to capture the joy and liberation of rock’n’roll. The notion of ‘theatre as gig’ appears across the Fringe. Kid Carpet, known for his DIY ethos and enthusiasm for children’s toys as instruments, has collaborated on The Castle Builder. His sensibility chimes with the script’s story of a man determined to build his own castle. He says incorporating live music into performance ‘allows for a different type of communication and understanding between the performers and the audience to develop.’ And it is beyond intellectual appreciation: ‘We feel
music. The physical movement of waves of sound being absorbed by our bodies is a really tangible product of bass and drums, but to see and feel those things happen before our eyes is real magic.’
Composer Matt Regan, for Greater Belfast, realised theatre offered a way to expand his songwriting. ‘Sometimes I would i nish a song and feel like there was much more to it. Lyrics can be so restrictive. I felt I needed to expand the songs.’ Having fallen in with theatre-makers since his move to Glasgow, he combined the arts for an intensely personal and passionate study of his home city, rel ecting the conl icting emotions through ‘a real mix of everything I’ve been interested in over the years. The process was like jigsaw pieces i nally falling together.’ Throughout the 20th century, music thrived on hybridisation: American blues fusing with British art sensibilities in the 1960s, African rhythms meeting Gospel spirituality in soul and
4–11 Aug 2016 THE LIST FESTIVAL 83