Nick Hennessey’s folk and music trio seriouskitchen
performed The Whispering Road at St. Mary’s Church in Cheveley last month.
A combination of Scandinavian myth and traditional music,
the show was a powerful reminder of the potency of live storytelling. Of particular interest was the emphasis on
landscape as symbol and point of mediation. As is to be expected of this
format, there was a considerable repetition of images and scenarios: a continuous
journey, sequential encounters and cyclical episodes. Over the course of the
evening, these patterns built into a rich set of archetypal suggestions. As the
show’s press release states, the environment of the narrative is one in which: “every
bird and beast has power and every encounter a deeper purpose.” In part, the
points of connection that constituted the story worked as devices of engagement
for the audience: oral prompts, choruses, refrains. They were also symbolic
plot points which operated on a more implicit level to bring out the thematic
elements of the show: repetition and change, identity and ritual, anima and animus. For anyone interested in the oral folk tale and the continuing
relevance of Propp’s morphology, The Whispering Road is well worth a look.
