On Some Far Shore ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Compiling the Darkchat spreadsheet of shows is always a tricky business. You want to see some favourites but you also want to leave room to watch some new companies.

Being an accredited Press reviewer for the Edinburgh festival we receive a lot of requests and clearly we can only see a small percentage of shows available. I do read all the Press releases and occasionally one catches my eye which lifts the show onto my "maybe" list. This was what first drew my attention to "On Some Far Shore".

I was a little concerned about the starting time, 10.25am, especially as we now stay in Kirkcaldy having been priced out of the Scottish capital. Despite the early start I do like being in Edinburgh and seeing it gradually coming to life. When we first started coming to the festival in the 1980s most of the shows were in the New Town. In recent years most venues have been moved to the other side of the castle which means we rarely came to this part of town. To ensure that we don't neglect this beautiful part of the city I now include a day of shows in the New Town so a trip to Greenside on George Street was a perfect fit.

Who knew that I would ever write that we had a coffee and cake sitting outside a cafe in blazing sunshine at 10.00am in Edinburgh?

We then moved into an intimate space, the Mint Studio. On a tiny stage we see Euan struggling to write a eulogy for his mother's funeral. We soon meet Isla, a friend trying to help him through his grief and in a series of flashbacks, his mother Helen.

With the audience so close to the action there is no hiding place for the performers. Every gesture, nuance and word spoken or song is directly in front of you. So, it is to credit of the young cast that this one of the best shows we have seen this year, and we have watched a lot of high quality productions.

Thomas Perry, Francesca Knoop and Nicole Palka all sing and act beautifully. The book and music by Louis Benneyworth and Madi Bouchta are equally magical. When the lyrics sound like poetry it is essential that you can hear every word and thanks to the cast's vocal technique, especially without voice mics, that is not a problem here.

Even on a small stage there is still room for some theatrical magic with a ladder transformed into a boat and imaginative use of a boys pyjamas.

This was our last day at the festival and we couldn't have started the day in a better way. You know you have done your job when a cast member has to console an emotional member of the audience, Darkchatter Thuranie.

I first came to the Edinburgh festival 40 years ago and the reason we keep coming is that we are continually amazed by the depth of talent available. We will be returning next year and hopefully so will Crosskeys Productions. Congratulations to all concerned " On Some Far Shore " was a triumph from beginning to end!