What a difference a decade can make. When, back in 2008, Midsummer was first performed within the intimate space of Traverse 2, the "indie-rom-com musical" seemed a surprisingly inconsequential affair, especially given it was co-created and directed by David Greig, who the previous year had enjoyed huge acclaim for the double-whammy of Damascus (about Western intervention in the Middle East) and a new adaptation of Euripides' The Bacchae starring Alan Cumming.
Greig’s inventive, lively writing provides a strong foundation for an engaging cast.
Now it's 2018, and Greig is not only one of Scotland’s leading writers, but also Artistic Director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre, the Scottish capital's principal producing theatre. Midsummer, the small experimental musical co-created with Gordon McIntryre (of Edinburgh indie group Ballboy) and done very much "for fun", is now given pride of place in the Edinburgh International Festival, in an enlarged version performed within one of the city's most august (no pun intended) venues, the Hub. This is arguably the story of the Little Musical That Could, and it looks as if it's doing so all over again.
Essentially, Midsummer is the story of Helena and Bob: she, a divorce lawyer; he, a small cog in Edinburgh’s criminal underground. They’re both 35, and beginning to question the course their lives. The pair meet in a wine bar at the start of Edinburgh's midsummer weekend (it's raining), get horribly drunk, have sex, and then assume they'll never see each other again. But we know they must, not least because their story is in part being told by older versions of themselves, clearly a couple. Indeed, the staging initially resembles a wedding reception or anniversary celebration.
Greig's inventive, lively writing provides a strong foundation for an engaging cast, who are kept focused by director Kate Hewitt; yet the added joy really comes from McIntyre's songs. Some will make you laugh—not least that hangover song! Others make for pause and reflection. A decade on, Midsummer – now with a cast of just five (not including the rest of the live band) – has naturally, gracefully grown to fit its much larger venue.
It’s midsummer weekend in Edinburgh. It’s raining. Two thirtysomethings are sitting in a New Town bar waiting for something to turn up.
David Greig and Gordon McIntyre’s exquisite miniature Midsummer is expanded and enlarged with a live band bringing to life its heart warming songs and irresistible humour, in residence at The Hub throughout the International Festival. First staged in 2008 before touring internationally to phenomenal acclaim, Midsummer is a streetwise romcom that turns a midlife crisis into a dance of freedom, and proves that it’s never too late for any of us to change.
Bob is a failing car salesman on the fringes of Edinburgh’s underworld. Helena is a high-powered divorce lawyer with a taste for other people’s husbands. She’s out of his league, and he’s not her type. But with a Tesco’s bag full of cash, they embark on a lost weekend of bridge-burning, car chases, wedding bust-ups, midnight trysts and hungover self-loathing.
This exhilarating, expanded version of Midsummer from the National Theatre of Scotland places you right at the heart of the action, with a heightened musicality and joyful sense of occasion.
Edinburgh-born David Greig is one of Britain’s most respected and admired playwrights, as well as Artistic Director of the city’s Royal Lyceum Theatre. Edinburgh-based Gordon McIntyre is a founding member of Scottish indie band Ballboy.
★★★★★ "joyful tale of wild sex and terrible hangovers" - The Guardian
★★★★★ "a beautiful, mesmerising piece of storytelling that makes you fall in love with the show all over again" - British Theatre
★★★★ - The Herald
★★★★ "Greig's inventive, lively writing provides a strong foundation for an engaging cast" - Broadway Baby
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David Greig Writer
Gordon McIntyre Composer & Musical Director
Kate Hewitt Director
Jenny Ogilvie Movement Director
Cécile Trémolières Set & Costume Designer
Tim Mascall Lighting Designer
Nico Menghini Sound Designer
Pete Harvey Music Associate
Paul Keohane Singing Coach
Laura Donnelly, CDG Casting Director
Aly Macrae Associate Musical Director
Performers
Sarah Higgins Helena
Eileen Nicholas Older Helena
Henry Pettigrew Bob
Benny Young Older Bob
Clarissa Cheong Musician
Pete Harvey Band Leader
Reuben Joseph Actor-Musician
Presented by National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh International Festival
More information about some of the artists:
David Greig
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Ballboy
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National Theatre of Scotland
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