The Playing with Books strand of The Edinburgh International Book Festival is a series of interesting events that present books onstage with elements of performance and music. Lord Fox is a collaboration between songwriter Kirsty Law, writer Kirsty Logan and harpist Esther Swift. Lord Fox is a dark fantasy that looks at seduction, serial killers, victims and fake news.
The performance is 40 minutes in length and follows the fairy tale of the ruthless and dreadfully violent Lord Fox and his potential victim Lady Mary. Lord Fox is beyond cunning, he is “A wolf that sends flowers” and there is quite a few skeletons in his closet. The story elegantly meanders as we follow Lady Mary on a journey through a dark and intimidating woodland, to the lonely house in which Lord Fox lives. Here a gruesome and startling discovery is made and the story presents an exciting and revealing twist.
Kirsty Logan is a fabulous reader and performer. She infuses the story with magic and mystery. Her words compliment the vocals and piano of Kirsty Law, which in turn works perfectly with Esther Swift‘s evocative and beautiful harp playing. This is a fine collaboration and a great example of what can happen when three talented artists get together to create something new, exciting and original. The music carries some of the emotional weight of the performance and at time Kirsty Logan stands back and allows the musicians to tell the story with their understated and beautiful soundtrack. The result is an intimate and unpredictable storytelling experience where words and music are presented in harmony with one another.
There are many events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival within the Playing with Books programme. Highlights include a theatrical exploration of James Kelman‘s new play Dirt Road and a conversation between Caroline Brothers and Oliver Emanuel about the fantastic Edinburgh International Festival production Flight.