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Theatre Review: A History of Paper ****

Anna Burnside reviews 'a well-constructed piece of work'.

A 29-year-old man festers, chucked and alone, in his Glasgow flat. It’s the late 1990s, so he listens to Radiohead very loudly. His neighbour registers her disapproval on a postcard and puts it through his letterbox.

Then comes round to apologise for over-reacting, which is a great meet-cute for a romcom that is so much cleverer and surprising than that rather devalued tag suggests.

The late Oliver Emanuel adapted his radio play A History of Paper into a musical with his friend and collaborator Gareth Williams before he died in December. The plan was always for Andrew Panton to direct it for Dundee Rep, and everyone involved has done Emmanuel proud. 

Emma Mullen and Christopher Jordan-Marshall are note perfect as the fearless journalist and frustrated novelist neighbours. The first act, when they fall in love in the newly-opened Pizza Express in Queen Street, is a tender delight.

In theatre, as in life, the course of true love does not run smoothly. Emmanuel combines a horrible plot twist with a clever meditation on the advances of technology at the start of the century and the transient but crucial nature of paper.

It’s a well-constructed piece of work, with ideas woven as lightly into the love story as the songs flow into the dialogue. Gareth Whitworth’s music adds the occasional aural joke as well as texture and atmosphere. The unshowy staging allows the paper ephemera to take on the weight it needs.

A four hanky as well as a four-star show.

A History of Paper is at the Traverse until August 25, 2024. Check theatre website for specific performance times. It then tours.

Photo by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.

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