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Theatre listings > Heal! - Tour, Musical & World Premiere. Writers - Forbes Masson and Gordon Dougall. Director - Gordon Dougall. Designer - Evelyn Barbour. Lighting Designer - Paul Sorley. Music Director - George Drennan. Company - Sounds of Progress - Website. Cast - here . 2005 Tour Dates and Times - here . Seen to review at Traverse Theatre Edinburgh on 29 March 2005. Run Time - 1 hours 20 mins no Interval. Reviewer - Thelma Good. Chills of delight. George Morrison's luck has run out he's lost his job, his home and his daughter Belinda, even his attempt to end it all confirms he's a loser - his razor lacks a blade 'cause it's electric. Then the Rev Dr Dennis Taupe and his religious road show arrive and George starts to find maybe there's some kind of light coming into his life. What sort of light, false or miraculous we never quite find out. But then when it comes to matters of faith it's never clear if it's fluke or a response to prayer when things change. Interesting to find metaphysics in a musical. Forbes Masson and Gordon Dougall promises to " make you smile with my word rhyme" and does with"there's no menace in our Dennis" and more. The story's a bit thin and it lacks a charismatic, can't stop singing it song like Masson's new-century Scottish pantos' "Tartania" but musicals take time and money to come to full power. This one hasn't received enough of either despite this a dedicated team of professional actors and musicians directed by Dougall make sure the audience don't feel short-changed. Carrying the aura of spiritual faith is Claire Cunningham as George's daughter who he sees but can not reach as she sings notes of pure tones that send chills of delight up one's spine. The rest of the cast are males - George Drennan as the anguished lost father, Garry Robson as the Rev Dr Taupe has you wanting to find he really is the man with the direct line to God. As one of Taupe's supporters Michael Cannon's Ray makes a fine double act with Jimmy Chisholm's The Other One, Chisholm also does a good turn as George's Mum and some very speedy costume changes as he he has a third role as Dennis's Dad. Eddie Greene isn't only on drums and percussion he brings a mischievous charm to The Silent Child. The other musicians, Bob Brown and Joseph Delany as well as providing good sounds create that happy-clappy-alls-well-with-us-world which is so attractive. There's an underlying questioning in this musical though which could come out more, with a sharper edge if this professional company gets to work on it again, after all most musicals need several tryouts to get it right. The question? How do you heal? Should we learn to live with what we have got or should we try to change ourselves or is faith answer? Looking at this intergrated company*, for people of all abilities and all ages, the answer contains all of these. © Thelma Good 29 March 2005 - Published on EdinburghGuide.com Sounds of Progress provides access to music training, specialising in working with children and adults with physical and learning difficulties and aiming to increase the presence of professional disabled performers in the music and theatre industry. Reviews of previous Sounds of Progress productions. Without A Trace, A Wee Bit Of How Do You Do, and Brave. Cast: Ray - Michael Cannon, The Other One/George's Mum, Dennis' Dad - Jimmy Chisholm, Belinda/The Silent Child's Sister - Claire Cunningham, The Silent Child - Eddie Greene, Dr Dennis Taupe - Garry Robson and George Morrison - George Drennan. Musicians - Guitar - Bob Brown, Piano - Joseph Delany and Drums and Percussion - Eddie Greene. 2005 Tour Details of Sound of Progress's production of Heal! . Tour begins 24 Mar at 7.45pm Cumbernauld Theatre 01236 732887. 25 Mar at 7.30pm Greenock Arts Guild Theatre 01475 723038. 26 Mar at 7.30pm Kilmarnock Palace Theatre 01563 554900. 29 & 30 Mar at 7.30pm Edinburgh Traverse 0131 228 1404. 1 Apr at 3pm, 7.30pm Aberdeen The Lemon Tree 01224 642230. 2 Apr at 8pm Inverness Eden Court Theatre 01463 234234. 6 - 9 Apr at 7.30pm Glasgow Tron Theatre 0141 552 4267. Tour ends. Theatre Editor, Thelma Good's e-mail is thelma@edinburghguide.com Although every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information presented in these pages, no responsibility can be accepted for any errors or omissions. Theatre listings >
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