Two sisters are reunited under the dark cloud of prophecy and superstition in the wake of WWI. Separated as children due to the fear about the potential realisation of these dire predictions, they have very much grown in opposite directions. One has remained on the island to stoke the flames of the family fire ensuring nurturing warmth and selfless love continue to emanate from the hearth; the other has returned with a London education and very much embodies the new independent woman, with a cold determination to permanently disconnect herself from her primitive past. Mr Rathbone, a story-collecting colleague from London, is unconditionally seduced by the poetical persuasion of these island people and completes this interesting ménage a trois. The entire cast is solid, providing strong performances that are equally convincing and engaging throughout.
These people of a far flung Hebridean island cling to a rock that not even trees can hold on to . They sing in defiance of the wind and dance to the rhythm of the waves, fearful that the tide of modernity may wash them all away. And you will be swept away, mysteriously set adrift on a raft of ancient fable and folklore, spellbound by Gaelic gargled ballads and subject to the mercy of Elspeth Turner’s whimsical storytelling. This production is very powerful and touching.
