Man or myth? Freedom fighter or terrorist? A thought-provoking glimpse into one of Scotland’s most famous heroes.
Wallace: A Musical is Raw Productions’ latest show, highlighting the exploits of famous Scottish figure William Wallace. Using mostly rap and hip hop for the music, this piece provides an interesting look into whether or not the man actually existed.
The Scotsman tells us the story of his hero, William Wallace, as the Sassenach, a Scottish Gaelic word that translates to Saxon (an English person), tries to make him see through a less biased lens at the full scope of Wallace’s history. This is all turned on its head, however, when the “wummin’” show up to point out that this famous man embedded in Scotland’s history may not have actually existed at all. It highlights the lack of historical evidence and incomplete records regarding Wallace’s movements and how suspicious it is that there are very few documented accounts from Scottish people of his feats, while the English have several mentions of him. It feeds into the concept that Wallace was a myth, made up to be both martyr and enemy. This definitely was an entertaining narrative, emboldened by the best feature of this show: the debates. The back-and-forth exchanges between all characters in this show are what make the whole piece so thought-provoking and in truth, held my interest much more than anything else in this show. The main discussion points featured within the story are regarding Wallace’s nature and whether he was the hero he’s labelled as, and whether or not he even definitely existed in the first place. Raw Productions has an ability to draw an audience in and interact with them in fun ways, and it’s through these debates that they engage audiences best. One of the funniest moments of the night was watching our Scotsman, Ross Mann’s voice get progressively squeakier as he tries to defend Wallace, both morally and existentially. He has a full-on emotional crash out, and it’s hilarious to watch as his worldview is upended.
The music, while mostly fine, was a bit of a mixed bag. Some songs simply weren’t memorable; others seemed to be trying to emulate Hamilton’s style; however, some were also great. The overall tone and energy of the music was respectable, and an interesting twist for a musical about William Wallace, but the quality wasn’t entirely consistent throughout. That said, things improved drastically on this front during Act 2, and the number highlighting the erasure of women’s achievements during Wallace’s era was a standout moment. Madeline Grieve, Kimberly Mandino and Patricia Panther were brilliant and made this scene memorable. Manasa Tagica’s musical moments as Edward I were also very enjoyable and oozing with confidence.
Admittedly, this definitely appears to be the kind of musical that would grow on you and would be better after a second watch, but 2 thoughts come to mind. One is that this may have actually worked better as a play. If tweaked in certain areas, this has all the makings of a really great play that is both amusing and contemplative. Which isn’t to say that this doesn’t work well with the music or that the script doesn’t fit the music, but it does lead me to my second point, which is that a musical about William Wallace would benefit from a fully Scottish folk score. Granted, this would probably be in the context of a lens that focuses fully on stories about this character, which also leads to wondering whether a musical that was fully about this character as opposed to the concept of him would also have been something to hope for, but what this show does, it does well. It makes us think about Wallace deeply in ways that one might wager most Scots never have before. So, this show is important and is strong in the position it takes. However, it would be interesting to one day see a show that focuses on the stories we know from the POV of the man himself, with a score that matches the era rather than others telling the story from a perspective of doubt.
Overall, this was not that show, but it was nonetheless a very interesting piece and worth the watch. Just be sure to manage your expectations before giving it a go.