A once in a lifetime fair, and a once in a lifetime show representing Scotland’s finest creators.
From beginning to end I was blown away by Wonder Fools’ latest production, The Kelton Hill Fair. Written by Jack Nurse and Robbie Gordon, the play showcased the efforts of an incredible case and wonderful crew to bring together a story that is as unforgettable as it is unsettling. The story was created by a selection of young people from Dumfries and Galloway: their talent must be recognised within the production, and they – Holly Marie Chapman, Charlie McAdam, Emma Forsynth, Sara Thomson, and Eilidh Thomson – must be applauded for their impressive storytelling collaboration.
The play follows Flo (played by the brilliantly earnest Ava Hickey) as she runs from her foster mother after trouble with the police and a schoolteacher. Bereft and alone, she stumbles upon the Kelton Hill Fair: a fantastical fair that is only accessible one night in the year, filled with those that don’t belong. Just like her… or so it seems. She meets the wonderfully batty group – the apparent-feminist Lady Dixie, played fabulously by the superb Julie Wilson-Nimmo; the erratic but initially-charming Hare (Michael Dylan excelled within the role!), the loveable down-to-earth Lizzie (Laura Lovemore twice moved me to tears), and, of course, Robert Burns (the incredibly versatile Martin Donaghy). Cut through with startling, unnerving moments of reality for Flo, the group do their best to make Flo feel at home in the idiosyncrasies of fair life: all with a staggering amount of alcohol (in true Scottish style?). Sam Stopford, filling in for Perri Snowdon as Billy Marshall, stood in contrast to the initial levity of the other fair folk. Brooding, temperamental, and manipulative, the emotion Stopford displayed especially towards the end was an incredible display of skill. Both he and Hickey stunned the audience with the final few scenes of the play, giving some of the most heartfelt acting I’ve seen in a while.
Bold and brilliant, I cannot forget the incredible work of the crew behind the scenes. In charge of set, Jenny Booth created the charming innovative hill, while the lighting by Benny Goodman and the music by VanIves accompanied the tone set by the acting and writing incredibly. With brave portrayals of some of Scotland’s most well-loved legends (Burns in particular, as perhaps the most famous Scot of all time, was given extraordinary, slimy depth), The Kelton Hill Fair accomplishes the ambitious motives of national storytelling and broadening local participation that the company set out with. The cast and crew have an astonishing ability to twist emotions: sympathy turns to horror and disgust; levity and comedy becomes tragic within moments. The audience laughed and gasped and fell dead silent all throughout the performance.
Walking away from the performance with tears in my eyes and a renewed feeling of Scottish… perhaps not pride, but identity… in my heart, I have only two regrets. The first is that I had not found the company sooner: I was spellbound the entire time and know they will only excel further from here. The second is that I had walked into the theatre quite fond of Burns’s poem ‘To A Mouse’ – and found myself leaving knowing that I would never read it the same way again. With a mix of poetry both old and new, wonderful songs and music, and a universal story of what it means to belong, be remembered, and have someone on your side, Wonder Fools’ next production is not to be missed. If you have the chance, I cannot recommend The Kelton Hill Fair highly enough.
The Kelton Hill Fair runs at the Tron until the 29th March.