Review: SONGS UNSEEN, Oran Mor, July 1 2016

SONGS UNSEEN is a performance that aims to create opportunities for Scottish and Scottish-based composers to have their work seen and ideas developed.

Songs Unseen is not just a show, but a concept. Bringing together established and emerging artists and putting their music together in a song cycle, this made for a very interesting evening.

The cast are an extremely talented group who give such passionate performances of these songs. The highlight for me was the performances from Lauren Ellis-Steele, who brought the big notes alongside a healthy dose of sass, especially during her rendition of Sophie's Apocalypse. The format of the song cycle means that you can't tell which songs were written by the big name composers, such as Bill Russell and Janet Hoo,d and which are written by the lesser-known composers, as all of the music was of such a high standard. The majority of the music featured is the kind that you leave the theatre humming on your journey home - the sign of a surefire hit!

While some of the numbers are hopefully going to be developed into full shows, there are a few described as "orphan songs". The track Belinda was originally part of Soho Cinders, but didn't make the cut. During the Q&A, lyricist Johnny McKnight admitted one of the songs that didn't make it into a show was actually one he wrote with the intention of "tryin' to get a song on the telly programme Nashville".

Songs Unseen was a really unique theatrical experience. While there are ideas being developed here, it isn't a workshop format. The musical performance is entirely professional and it's interesting afterwards to get the insight into where the songs belong from the composers themselves. There's also an element of frustration by the end of Songs Unseen, as there are so many incredible composers, lyricists and writers looking to develop such interesting new musical theatre shows. I sincerely hope these songs get the opportunities they deserve!

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