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Review: Babs is a delicious journey of discovery and magic at The Lemon Tree

Morna Young's play   Babs is at The Lemon Tree with music by Bethany Tennick (pictured) as part of the A Play, A Pie, And A Pint series. Image:  Supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts
Morna Young's play Babs is at The Lemon Tree with music by Bethany Tennick (pictured) as part of the A Play, A Pie, And A Pint series. Image: Supplied by Aberdeen Performing Arts

Good storytelling lies at the heart of folklore around the world… and Babs is a great story with folklore at its big beating heart.

So Valentine’s Day was the perfect night to open this latest offering in the A Play, A Pie And A Pint series at The Lemon Tree.

The beauty of Babs, penned by the north-east’s own massively talented Morna Young, is the way it pulls you into its own world, spinning up the Slavic folklore tale of Baba Yaga into a contemporary setting in the Aberdeenshire woods – Counteswells no less.

Not that the witch-like Baba Yaga is front and centre of the yarn. That honour falls to Lisa, a modern Aberdeen quine, ditched by her bestie in favour of her new man on the eve of a holiday to Ibiza.

Morna Young offers up a compelling story with the Baba Yaga myth at its heart in Babs, now on at The Lemon tree in Aberdeen. Image:  Kris Miller/DC Thomson

Morna Young offers up a delicious script in Babs at The Lemon Tree

Seeking solace, Lisa – played by Naomi Stirrat in this one-woman show – wins a trip to what she believes will be a spa-like retreat, complete with massages, facials and a pretty cocktail.

What Lisa gets instead is a house on chicken legs surrounded by a fence of human bones and a journey of discovery to who she truly is and what she truly wants – which turns out not to be getting rid of Gareth, the offending new man in her pal Shelley’s life.

Morna – who also wrote the stunning Runrig musical The Stamping Ground – offers up a delicious script, full of clever one-liners but shot through with pathos as we learn more about Lisa and her life.

One minute you’re laughing about fluorescent trainers, the next sharing the silence in the room as the story of Lisa’s childhood unfolds in a heartbreaking song, written by the gifted Bethany Tennick.

Baba Yaga’s house on chicken legs is a staple in Slavic folklore and at the heart of Babs, now on at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen. Image: Shutterstock

Mind you, Bethany matches Morna for sense of humour in a ditty reflecting the bizarre situation Lisa finds herself in, along the lines of What The F… insert your own sweary words here.

Babs builds on unfamiliar myths with a ring of truth and depth

The script slowly reveals its characters and the layers behind them – the jolly hockey sticks Karen, the ditzy tree-hugging Willow and the beautiful Vasilisa, before getting to Babs herself.

It also delves into the various iterations of Baba Yaga – the crone, the child-eating monster, the mysterious beauty – before settling into the track of the guide for young women discovering who they truly are.

There’s a real richness here, building on unfamiliar myths that still have a ring of depth and truth to them that resonate.

There’s real richness and depth, too, in the solo performance from Naomi. She commands the stage, creating a truly believable Lisa, while effortlessly switching between the other characters, to create this unbelievable world.

Naomi Stirrat, who plays Lisa in Babs at The Lemon Tree. Image: Tim Morozzo

Babs is a wonderful way to step out of the real world at The Lemon Tree

She also has a superb singing voice that perfectly complements the songs that drive the narrative along. The audience hung on her every word – be it spoken or sung – as she essayed Lisa’s ultimately uplifting and empowering journey.

Babs is a wonderful way to step out of the real world for an hour – and the tasty pies and cold pints only add to the magic.

It runs at The Lemon Tree until Saturday. For tickets and information visit aberdeenperformingarts.com


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