REVIEW: 4/5
EDINBURGH Fringe welcomed Army@TheFringe back in a powerful fashion with their latest show Dots and Dashes: A Bletchley Park Musical.
The musical, created by ChopLogic Productions, explores the untold story of the women who worked undercover in World War Two, decoding enemy messages to save men at the front.
This is a hidden account in history. These are unsung heroes. Indeed, it’s a story that needs telling.
The performance follows the journey of six young women inside the decoding room.
They each hold a clear and unique role in the office. None of them could work without the other. It’s a real tale of female empowerment.
Characters range from Florence, who embodies what society back then expected from a woman, to Dorothy, who unfortunately had a train of thought too progressive for this era.
These contrasting perspectives give rise to diverging storylines that interweave with each other to highlight pertinent female issues of the 1940s.
They touch on significant matters, such as pregnancy, marriage and homosexuality.
The show directly exposes how a woman back then, despite doing something so important, was meant principally for one job, and one job only; to marry and have kids.
Their plotlines do not steal the focus of the importance of their work in history. Instead, they make the story particularly engaging.
We get to know the Bletchley girls on a more personal level.
The show has a well-executed and meticulous set, which gives the musical a further edge of realism.
The script is a particular highlight of the whole production – immersing us in the day-to-day conversation of the girls.
Skillfully-placed silences are littered throughout too, giving way to noises like the tapping and clicking of a telegraph to add to the contextual reality.
It almost makes you feel as if you are one of them.
Their attires blend into that era’s fashion whilst at the same time seamlessly aiding to represent their persona.
This is an aspect clearly reflected in Dorothy’s (the progressive girl) clothing, with her being the only one wearing trousers. Small details like this push this production to stardom.
The key ingredient is their songs. They lyrically harmonise as their voices blend into one another and let each shine when necessary.
The performances are powerfully choreographed as well, with simple but sufficient moves that tell the story of each woman through movement alone.
Unfortunately, it seems the play touches on too many subjects in a short space of time and inevitably leaves us with open ends.
We never fully see the outcome of their storylines. We get to know their problems, but we do not see how they unfold.
The show also suffers from some visual issues. In the end, they gave us some facts and figures on Bletchley Park and the issues the play explored, but the small font on-screen made for difficult reading, leaving the audience unable to fully appreciate it.
These are points of weakness in what is otherwise a powerful and moving performance.
Bletchley Park is a must-see at this year’s Fringe, not least for its gripping performance and faultless stage presence, but also because of the remarkable story it tells.
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