★★★★★
Directed by Andrew Panton, written by now deceased playwright Oliver Emanuel and adapted into a musical by Gareth Williams, Traverse Theatre’s and Dundee Rep’s co-production of A History of Paper may initially play out as a tale as old as time, fairly surface level love story, but is far more refreshing than you would first think.
We are introduced to a suitably doe-eyed, young Hugh Grant-esque heart-throb of a male protagonist who is not afraid to express how he deals with heartbreak by listening to Radiohead on repeat. His opposite is a self-assured, charismatic neighbour with infectious charisma.
Gorgeously acted by Emma Mullen and Christopher Jordan-Marshall, the two romantic leads glide around the space as delicately as paper lanterns in the wind. Accompanied by a beautiful score with witty lyrics delivered in an engaging narration style, we immediately buy into their chemistry which is essential for a play of this genre.
The two actors are not only strong performers, but impeccable storytellers, who, from the very first line draw us right in, enabling our imaginations to run wild but most importantly, make us care about what happens to them.
Vivid imagery pours from their words in a way that makes you visualise exactly what is being described and feel as though you are reading a book. Credit can be given here to the writing, a production which would have floundered in superficiality without such detail and humanity.
A History of Paper is a well-executed and polished production that conceptualises its theme with consistency. The theme of paper running throughout from the staging to the props is coherent and pleasing and in the midst of a fiercely digital age where AI poses a threat to art, it is refreshing to see a piece stripped down to basics with humanity at its core.
The set is made up of paper in different forms as the piece explores the significance of paper in our lives. From a phone number on a scrap of paper to an invitation letter to a job interview; this play reminds us of the life changing capacity of a single scrap of paper and the impact of words.
The play has a wonderful fluidity with beautiful, seamless transitions that make for a satisfying watch. It is very well paced, silky smooth and lyrical, without a hint of a bum note both literally and metaphorically.
The unexpected ending, makes your heart fall with a heavy clunk and nicely ties the story together, adding a whole new dimension of emotion. The narrative choice, although arguably a little extreme for such a short piece, helped lift the piece from the realms of a predictable love story and clearly evoked pathos demonstrated by the sniffling that can be heard in the auditorium.
A History of Paper is an undeniably beautiful watch that handles human emotion with tenderness and care and is not one to miss this Fringe.
A History of Paper can be seen at the Traverse Theatre until 25 August as a part of Edinburgh Fringe 2024.
Words by Abbie James
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