the most beautiful love letter to the most beautiful city
Mark Hannah’s “Athens of the North” is a gorgeous love letter to Edinburgh. An outstanding solo performance covering three interconnected stories, we peer into the most human of stories in a spellbinding hour.
With a set comprising an old Lothian Buses red leather bus seat, we first meet Alan, a local Edinburgh dad whose wee girl Erin is set to play a pivotal role in her primary school performance at St Giles Cathedral, and his challenges of his work, management, and old memories to get to her in time. We’re then introduced to Liam, a London lad, studying meteorology at uni, who meets Edinburgh Chloe on a holiday to Zante, and travels North to the city to reconcile. Finally, we have Maureen, a formidable woman who’s moved out of her house into a residential home, full of stories and conversations with her family.
Without spoiling the elegant storytelling, the way in which these characters’ lives intertwine is wonderfully satisfying, flecked with names and descriptions that are familiar to every local inhabitant. However, it’s the performance of Mark, embodying all of his characters in unique and authentic ways, that really sends this work to another level. The emotional depth and nuance he delivers clearly shows his passion for this production, and chuckles of familiarity from the crowd at the more comedic elements and one-liners of deeply Scottish humour that come so naturally to Alan and Maureen in particular.
“Edinburgh’s a village”, says Maureen (and, as a local, yes, never a truer word spoken) “not all villages have castles, and palaces and parliaments. But we do.” And in our village, we have these thousands of stories playing out each day, delicately interwoven, or lightly connected, but all within the same living breathing village of a city. In her closing speech that follows, the soul of the city and the occupants has never been more clearly defined.
Upon the lights going down, the crowd’s reaction was an instant and unanimous standing ovation. This is an extraordinary piece of theatre – one that will win the hearts of locals and visitors alike.
Remaining performances of “Athens of the North” are on the 19th, 21st and 23rd August, at 15:15, at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
Tickets can be bought from: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/athens-of-the-north