FringeReview Scotland 2025
Songs of the Wayfarer
Claire Cunningham as part of Dance International Glasgow
Genre: Disability Arts, Movement, Solo Performance, Theatre
Venue: Tramway Theatre Glasgow
Festival: FringeReview Scotland
Low Down
Narratively this eventually took time but worked very well. Directed with a ponderous opportunity to reflect on the words being used, it mixed layers of meaning with layers of performance. Technically adept, the sculpture of crutches to one side of the stage was powerful reminding us that heading towards dizzying heights may not be beyond somebody who has to use them.
Review
Dance International Glasgow began on Friday 9th with Songs of the Wayfarer by Claire Cunningham. Disabled choreographer and singer, Cunningham leads us in a hike amongst nature along with Gustav Mahler’s song cycle navigating the known and unknown personal and natural landscapes.
Directed with personal experience at its heart this traversed a hill and the footlights through interaction with both the audience and the terrain, which made for a re-examination of how theatre should be used. Cunningjam is a mainstay of both Dance and Disabled Arts within the UK, and here she manages to once again bring challenge to her work theatrically and with art in its heart. There was a tenderness in the way she engaged with us, a respect, not demanded but earned.
The narrative through The Songs of the Wayfarer was a particularly fascinating interaction. Mingled with the conceit of her taking us all on this hike, warning us that it was going to be tough but there was going to be plenty of opportunity to take breaks, drew us into the centre of the performance. As she shed her outer layer of clothing which was ready for a Scottish “summer” and the crutches she never lost us. When she began climbing over the seats like a naughty schoolgirl, the most poignant example of her storytelling ability was how to tell us about the loss of people and getting old whilst having coffee and making shortbread. I would have traded much for more of that. Cunningham cuts a fascinating figure in terms of her ability to engage with the audience.
At the beginning some of that was missing and the tone began somewhere between soporific and ponderous. It needed an injection of pace though Cunningham managed that.
Once we had reached her summit metaphorically and literally, the setup became stronger.
The strongest element was the technical interaction on display. That included a projection of footsteps being taken and rugged terrain, onto a slim white cloth at the back. The cloth draped and flowing onto the stage, had projections as contours, I presume, of the hills that we were climbing, demonstrating when it was going to get tough and also when it was a little easier. The projections spilled beyond the cloth and onto the blackness of the stage with words also appearing to explain the pace of our journey and advice we needed to heed. Downstage left of the stage was a particularly good visual metaphor. The crutches pointed up at a summit – achievable and challenging.
The soundscape included some wonderful vocals from Cunningham knowledge – Gustav Mahler’s ‘Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen’ – which added to the artistry. Nonetheless, exceptional for that I felt that at the end of it all, we had a glimpse, an opportunity, on what it was like to traverse this terrain on crutches. I wanted more of that storytelling, that narrative, but part of that teasing process that Cunningham has managed leaves me wanting to explore and understand more, which can never be a bad thing.
