Wallace - A Musical, Glasgow review: 'an ideological roller-coaster'
This in-your-face 20th century hip-hop musical is delivered with tremendous energy, writes Joyce McMillan
Wallace – A Musical, Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow ★★★★
A hit at Oran Mor’s Play, Pie and Pint series in 2025, Wallace - A Musical has now been extended to twice its original 55-minute length, and is heading for the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh.
Co-written by playwright Rob Drummond and hip-hop artist Dave Hook, Wallace is an in-your-face 20th century hip-hop musical about Scotland’s great 13th century national hero, that looks at his story from three different angles: the straightforwardly hero-worshipping, the hostile and debunking, and the profoundly questioning – did Wallace exist at all? – and fiercely feminist.
The fast-moving words of Hook and Drummond’s text are brilliant, if sometimes hard to catch; and the audience’s reactions to this ideological roller-coaster of a show are often as fascinating as the show itself, now delivered with tremendous energy by a fiercely charismatic six-strong cast featuring Patricia Panther, Manasa Tagica, and Hook himself, as Wallace.
Wallace is at the King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, 30 September-3 October, and on tour across Scotland in autumn 2027.
The Scotsman’s arts newsletter is now sent twice a week - subscribe today
Enjoying the Arts & Culture journalism on scotsman.com? Make it easier to find by selecting us as a preferred Google source
Want the latest Scottish headlines sent directly to your phone? Sign up to our new WhatsApp channel here
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.