Edinburgh Days
★★★★☆ Tragic
St Bride’s Community Centre (Venue 412): Thu 31 July – Sun 24 Aug 2024
Review by Eilidh Sim
Edinburgh Days presented by Belt of Celt Productions at St Bride’s Community Centre with a community cast of local performers is a dramatic historical musical.
Written by Robert Johns and Brian Spence, Edinburgh Days is set in 1800s Scotland, and constructs a tale of both love and struggle. Following the story of pregnant Jean, as she navigates many misfortunes throughout her life, and presenting some of the harsh realities of prostitution.
Rory Morar Jeffrey and Imogen Vickers in Edinburgh Days. Pic: Stuart Spence.
From the get go, this production – with a cast of 26 – sets the scene of nineteenth century Scotland. With the pre-show containing music and sound of birds, leading into the bittersweet first musical number Castle Walls, where we can see happy couples who are sad to be separated as the men set off to sail across the seas. This musical number immediately establishes a theme of love, which runs throughout the production.
Director Bob Tomson makes effective use of the staging, with the most prominent piece of set being wooden doors at the upper middle of the stage, acting as a backdrop. To create different locations throughout the performance there are smaller pieces of set such as chairs and tables which are brought on when needed, constructing different locations despite the set remaining minimal.
vulnerable and powerful
Louise Kenny is captivating as Jean, who is both vulnerable and powerful. Kenny perfectly displays the emotion in her character, and how she is affected when her husband leaves during her pregnancy. Her voice is exceptional throughout, presented in the very first musical number and onto later ones such as Revelations. Not only is Kenny able to belt out a note, she also finds a gentler aspect to her voice, portraying the vulnerability and despair of her character.
Suzy Enoch and Michael James Macduff in Edinburgh Days. Pic: Stuart Spence.
Colin Chisholm is a menacing MacGregor, who throughout the production acts as a puppet master, trying to control everyone around him to suit his own wants. MacGregor has been successfully characterised, which is presented through his musical numbers such as Bad Man. During these numbers Chisholm finds a chilling quality to his voice, depicting the characters true intentions.
Debbie Mckenna dominates the stage as fierce Mary, Jean’s best friend and mentor. Mckenna is energetic throughout the performance, reflecting both the hilarity and resistance of her character. Despite Mary being powerful, Mckenna presents a more emotional side to her character too, in the musical number of One Of The Best, belting out at some moments, while drawing back at others to show her sorrow.
outspoken
Imogen Vickers shines as Catriona, the outspoken preacher’s daughter. Vickers perfectly displays the emotional qualities of her character during the performance, specifically throughout her musical numbers such as Love’s Sake where her phenomenal voice portrays the tenderness of her character.
The other male leads, headstrong Davey (Rory Morar Jeffrey) and wayfaring sailor Robbie (Michael James Macduff), are thoughtfully characterised, both excellently portraying their characters determination and susceptibility to deception. Both Jeffrey and Macduff have strong singing voices presented through musical numbers such as Your Child, My Child and You’re All I Ever Wanted.
Michael James Macduff, John Clarke, Bobby Zhelyazkov and Adam Fotheringhame in Edinburgh Days. Pic: Stuart Spence.
The ensemble are energetic as the townsfolk, creating depth to the scenes and giving a sense of community within the play. While not portraying lead singing roles collectively have powerful singing voices which effortlessly blend together. This can be seen during “That’s Not Love To Me” where some of the male and female ensemble beautifully harmonize together.
whispering
There are a number of technical issues, with mics cutting out, creating loud buzzing noises, and sometimes not turning on at all. A significant amount of whispering can also be heard from backstage, distracting from the performance on stage. However, despite these technical issues, the cast’s energy never wavers, allowing for this not to take too much away from the overall performance.
Edinburgh Days is an excellent piece of theatre, combining history and emotion through a beautiful story of loss and love.
Running time: Two hours and 15 minutes (no interval).
St Bride’s Community Centre (Auditorium), 10 Orwell Terrace EH11 2DZ (Venue 412).
Thursday 31 July – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Daily (Not Sun 3, Mons 11 & 18): 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Production website: www.edinburghdays.co.uk
Facebook: @EdinburghDaysMusical
Instagram: @edinburghdays_musical
BlueSky: @edinburghdays
X: @EdinburghDays
Dave Graham, Imogen Vickers and Rory Morar Jeffrey in Edinburgh Days. Pic: Stuart Spence.
ENDS
