PPP: The Whaler’s Wife
★★★☆☆ Atmospheric
Traverse Theatre: Tues 29 Sept – Sat 3 Oct 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
The Whaler’s Wife, the first in the new season of Òran Mór’s Play, A Pie and A Pint offerings at the Traverse, is a compelling if uneven historical drama blending myth, music and more modern elements.
The play (co-presented by Ayr Gaiety) is written by Izzy Gray and set in Orkney two centuries ago. In Hamnavoe (the old name for Stromness familiar to anyone who has read George Mackay Brown), three women wait out the long months while their husbands are on board a whaling ship in the Arctic.
Shawney Henderson, Joyce Falconer and Emma Tracey in The Sailor’s Wife. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
As well as the fish gutting, Marion (Joyce Falconer) has her illicit booze run to keep her busy. The cynical Elsie (Shawney Henderson) is relieved her husband is away, while Bess (Emma Tracey), younger and newly married, is less keen on the whole idea of whaling. And there are secrets being kept…
The dialogue is earthy and lively, with Orcadian words mixed into a lively combination of the portentously ancient and the defiantly modern that sometimes jars but is largely performed with gusto. Good use is made of music, with songs such as Bonnie Ship the Diamond, Greenland Whale Fisheries and Lowlands Away well sung by Henderson and Tracey, in impressive arrangements by Bethany Tennick.
well-scrubbed
Sometimes the singing sounds suspiciously pure and modern, a criticism that could also be levelled at the well-scrubbed appearance of the performers – something that doesn’t quite gel with Gillian Argo’s set, which is cleverly expansive almost to the point of fussiness.
The play’s narrative, moreover, is oddly structured. At times there are awkward amounts of exposition, while at other moments the story is elliptically told, and the pace of events varies widely.
Joyce Falconer with Shawney Henderson and Emma Tracey in The Sailor’s Wife. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
While the combination of folklore and realistic elements does generally work, there are moments when the storytelling does not quite convince. However, the performances are uniformly grounded and spirited. Falconer gives a glee and sparkle to Marion, Henderson’s Elsie is nuanced, and Tracey is believably unworldly as Bess.
pleasing rhythm
Beth Morton’s direction is sympathetic and achieves a pleasing rhythm which helps to overcome those glitches in the storytelling. Ross Nurney’s sound design, and the lighting of Nurney and Chris Reilly, are atmospheric and well-considered.
Overall, the production does manage to create a consistent mood despite its occasional flaws.
Running time: 55 minutes (no interval).
Traverse Theatre (Trav 2), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED.
Tuesday 29 September – Saturday 3 October 2026.
Daily: 1pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Gaiety Theatre (Studio), Carrick St, Ayr KA7 1NU.
Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October 2026.
Daily: 1pm, Fri also: 6pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Dundonald Castle, Winehouse Yett, Dundonald.
Wed 14 October 2026.
One performance: 6pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Fairlie Village Hall, Fairlie, Largs.
Thur 15 October 2026.
Two performances: 1pm & 6pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Ballantrae Community Centre, .
Fri 16 October 2026.
One performance: 6pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Ochiltree Community Hub.
Saturday 17/Sunday 18 October 2026.
Sat: 6pm; Sun: 1pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Emma Tracey and Shawney Henderson in The Sailor’s Wife. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
ENDS
