Òran
★★★★☆ Inventive
Traverse: Thu 13 – Sat 15 Nov 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson
Ancient and modern collide in Òran, a technically formidable and well-performed touring production at the Traverse for three days only.
The one-hander from Wonder Fools presents a present-day Scottish take on the classical myth of Orpheus. Instead of trying to bring back his dead love Eurydice, Òran has to retrieve his best pal Euan from a digital underworld.
Robbie Gordon in Òran. Pic. Mihaela Bodlovic.
The depiction of a hellscape of trolling, bullying, machismo and exploitation is contained in a script by Owen Sutcliffe that relies heavily on rhyme. It is performed with considerable charm by Robbie Gordon.
Gordon also manipulates much of the electronic score composed by VanIves and Robbie Deans. The atmospheric beats, melodies, rumbles and squelching combine with Benny Goodman’s powerful lighting to great effect.
The soundtrack is relentless, while the lighting is muscular and stark, aided by copious amounts of haze. Technician Cécile Segura also deserves great credit for her role in a technically demanding and impressive production.
a flexible, well-conceived production
Sutcliffe’s words are recognisably, almost defiantly, contemporary and Scottish, and are performed by Gordon with humour, sensitivity and humanity. Involving the audience even before the advertised start time, he immediately builds up a rapport that serves Òran well on his journey.
The compact surroundings of Traverse 2 are used brilliantly; it is a sign of a flexible, well-conceived production that it seems tailored completely to the space, even though it has been touring to a large number of wildly differing venues.
Robbie Gordon in Òran. Pic. Mihaela Bodlovic.
Jack Nurse directs with energy, flexibility and sensitivity, with Heather Scott’s video design enhancing matters considerably. The descent into hell is realised cleverly in a production whose impact is out of proportion to its comparatively modest scale and resources, with elements such as electronically distorted voices used effectively.
hiphop-infused narrative
The combination of ancient myth with modern considerations is not always consistently achieved, but is helped by the hiphop-infused narrative. At times it does strain too hard and approaches the over-earnest and self-consciously poetic. The constant bombardment of light and sound, moreover, can become wearing.
The humour and power of Gordon’s performance, however, always keep things moving, and the result is a production that is intelligent and genuinely immersive.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Traverse Theatre, 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED
Thursday 13 – Saturday 15 November 2025
Daily at 7.00 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Robbie Gordon in Òran. Pic. Mihaela Bodlovic.
ENDS
