Tron Theatre, Glasgow, on tour May 2004

WHEN THEY build musicals on Broadway, they spend longer in previews than the average Scottish production stays on stage. The New York approach is vigorous and unsentimental: a song might be great, but if it doesn’t help the show, it’s thrown out and a new one written to replace it. No such business-like luxuries here, where the money simply isn’t available to develop a show at such a careful pace.

Which makes it all the more remarkable when a musical emerges with the maturity of Fierce. Yes, it’s true that if subjected to a Broadway-level of scrutiny there would be a purge of the odd song that wasn’t pulling its weight and propelling the plot forward, but by and large it’s an ambitious show that largely works, especially for its target late-teenage audience.

To mention Broadway, though, is misleading. The score for Justin Young’s play is written by Philip Pinsky, a former member of cult Edinburgh band Finitribe, and it’s just the kind of in-your-face, rhythmically driven, electronic rap that you’d expect. Those of a sensitive disposition should think twice, as should those with an aversion to swear words. George and Ira Gershwin it ain’t.

But for the subject matter in hand, it’s highly appropriate. “Fierce” is the graffiti tag daubed about an Edinburgh scheme by Finlay (Mark Arends), a 14-year-old boy with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He’s a well-meaning sort who falls in with a bad lot, as people tend to in the territorial world of teenage life. The sad irony is that his only means of expression – graffiti – is also illegal. His means of freedom is also his potential trap.

The strength of the production lies in the accuracy with which it captures this world, from the angst and alienation to the patois and camaraderie. The efforts of an 18-month development period, during which Young and director Janie Abbott listened to what teenagers across Scotland had to say for themselves, have paid off in terms of authenticity. As a result, its target audience has been very enthusiastic, although older audiences might feel less emotionally involved and more aware of a plot that is representational more than confrontational.

Fierce can be seen at the following Highlands and Islands venues:
Victoria Halls, Campbeltown, Tuesday 18 May 2004
Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, Saturday 29 May 2004

© Mark Fisher, 2004