A History of Paper at Traverse Theatre – Edinburgh Fringe review

Here’s a play with a touching, unique genesis – first brought to the airwaves by playwright Oliver Emanuel, it is now re-adapted into a musical Gareth Williams following Emanuel’s unexpected death aged 43. It’s also co-produced by Edinburgh’s Traverse and the Dundee Rep Theatre, who as a pair rustled up the fantastic No Love Songs with the Traverse Theatre last summer, and are now pushing to repeat the trick this time around.

Emma Mullen and Christopher Jordan-Marshall lead the two-hander with Andrew Panton directing. The whole show, following the gamut of a relationship from awkward first encounters to boozy weddings, is swaddled in earnest enchantment – Emanuel and Williams’ words lending the piece an easy-going feeling. Richard Curtis vibes are strong –  it is essentially a meet-cute with added references to the significance of paper – a mulch-cute, if you will.

A slightly slow, ponderous beginning undersells the show’s sharp and amusing dialogue that occupies its middle third, with this second section deftly reflecting the euphoric verbal sparring of newfound love. Sweet-natured tunes, serviceable and well-wrought, bolster the show’s general ambiance.

On-stage musical director Gavin Whitworth is a wonderful third wheel, playing almost throughout the show with much aplomb. Mullen and Jordan-Marshall are also perfectly cast, providing that form of sweet-natured, unspoken chemistry that keeps a show airborne.

A colossal curveball towards the end of the show upends a lot of the piece’s irreverent, whimsical success, distorting a large chunk of what gives the show its heart. It’s a strained decision that jars – some may find it emotionally impactful, others simply too tangential. Either way, there’s much to be found watching the sweet-natured romance unfold.

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