Review 1
Ballad Lines opens with a stirring and stomping introduction that immediately sets the tone for the story. The entire cast launches into song with such passion and unity that the audience is drawn in from the very first moment. This powerful opening establishes not only the musicality of the production but also the emotional depth that will unfold as the story weaves its way through generations of one family’s history.
The narrative intertwines seamlessly between the present day and the ancestral past, cleverly mixing modern day with the echoes of long forgotten stories. At the heart of the tale is a family whose origins lie in the dark, cold landscapes of Scotland. Here we meet Jamie (Ally Kennard), a clergyman yearning for a child to complete his life, and his young wife Cait, who carries her own quiet fears. Although she is already pregnant, she hides this truth from Jamie, uncertain of the life growing inside her and the responsibilities it will bring. Their journey takes them from Scotland to Ireland, and as the years pass, the family line continues through many hardships, and the unspoken burdens carried by each generation.
Four generations later, we encounter Jeanie (Yna Tresvalles), a fifteen year old girl who finds herself pregnant and alone. Aware that her family will reject her and desperate to avoid scandal, she makes the heartbreaking decision to leave everything she knows behind and travel to America in search of a new beginning with her sister Shona (Siân Louise Dowdalls). Her story, like those before it, is not written in books or preserved in letters but passed down through the haunting and beautiful ballads that form the backbone of the production.
Running parallel to these tales of old is the modern day storyline of Sarah (Frances McNamee) and Alex (Sydney Sainté), a young queer couple who have just moved in together. Sarah has avoided opening a box left to her by Aunty Betty (Rebecca Trehearn) for over a year, unsure of the emotions it might stir. When she finally lifts the lid, it becomes a moment of revelation. Much like Pandora’s box, it releases a flood of memories, forgotten histories, and hidden truths. Inside are recordings of the traditional songs that shaped her family’s past—songs taught to her by Aunty Betty when she was a child. Hearing these voices again awakens something deep within her: a sense of belonging, a connection to her roots, and an unexpected longing to understand where she truly comes from and a sudden awakening. A hidden desire and yearning for her own child to preserve the songs and stories for the next generation.
The production excels in its musical storytelling. The voices are rich, textured, and evocative, capturing the essence of Scottish and Irish folk traditions with authenticity and warmth. Just behind the set, the three musicians provide a constant, steady heartbeat to the show. Their presence is understated yet essential, guiding the audience from ballad to ballad with barely a pause. Although the percussionist was just out of view from my seat, the rhythmic foundation they provided was unmistakable.
Ballad Lines is, at its core, a vibrant and heartfelt celebration of a family tree—its joys, its sorrows, and the stories that survive through song. The production embraces its Scottish and Irish roots while also acknowledging the Appalachian influences that emerged when the family eventually settled in Virginia. It is a loud, lively, and deeply moving tribute to the power of vocal tradition and the way music can carry history across oceans and generations.
This is storytelling at its most human: tender, resonant, and beautifully sung.
Ballad Lines is put together by co-creator and songwriter Finn Anderson and co-creator and director Tania Azevedo, Music Director Shonagh Murray.
Show runs from 23rd January – 21st March 2026
Reviewer - Penny Curran
On - 29th January 2026
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Review 2
Effervescent and alive, Ballad
Lines blends an authentic folk musical performance alongside magnificent
physical dance and movement, creating an immediate connection with its
audience. The story of Ballad Lines grew from two parallel lines of exploration.
The first traces the migration of traditional ballads from Scotland and Ulster
to America, and how they survived and evolved in the Appalachian mountains. The
second line asks questions about female agency and freedom, a woman’s ability
to have a say over her own body, especially within motherhood.
We follow Sarah, American and
queer who searches for links into her family and its roots. We look back
through centuries and witness powerful songs that bond women. Finn Anderson and
Tanoa Azevedo write an extremely powerful piece of work that has taken many
years in its development. There is much female empowerment in Ballad Lines and
it’s delivered completely authentically in its process. There is traditional
folk music from Scotland, Ireland and the Appalachian mountains. Sarah, played
with utter confidence by Frances McNamme, discovers there’s a cardboard box
full of cassette tapes recorded by Sarah’s Aunt Betty, with whom she has had
somewhat of a complicated relationship. We are taken on a journey of discovery
of the past, and meet new characters along the way and all while Sarah looks on
from her and her girlfriends living room. As stories begin to unfold, Sarah
realises she has her own desire for motherhood, which then begins to create a
fracture in the relationship she has with her girlfriend Alix, played by Sydney
Sainté.
Ballad Lines is quite plot heavy
with many characters introduced, but with the added storytelling things become a little more
transparent, and Anderson’s music is folk dynamite and above all authentic.
Ballad Lines definitely felt less
like an event and more like being invited into a shared moment of connection.
The kind where people arrive carrying their own quiet, sit down, and slowly
begin to soften. There was no rush, no pressure to be impressed, just songs
offered honestly, and a room willing to meet them. What stayed with me was the
authenticity of the night. Each performance felt considered but not careful,
emotionally open without being showy. The writers trusted their material enough
to let it land in its own time. Some songs barely raised their voice, yet they
carried real weight, about love, about endings, about the small, hard truths
that sit underneath everyday life.
There was a warmth in the room
that’s hard to manufacture. People listened properly. You could feel the
attention shift when something vulnerable was shared, a collective leaning in,
a shared holding of breath. It made the space feel safe, not just for the
performers, but for everyone there. What worked especially well was the lack of
excess. No one pushed for drama or resolution. The songs didn’t try to explain
themselves or tidy things up. They allowed uncertainty, tenderness, and quiet
resilience to coexist. That honesty made the emotional moments feel earned
rather than engineered.
By the end of the night, there was a sense of calm rather than closure. Not the buzz of having been entertained, but the steadier feeling of having been present for something real. Conversations stayed hushed. People lingered. Tears fell. It felt like everyone wanted to protect what had just happened for a little longer. Some stand out performances for me were delivered from Siân Louise Dowdalls who played Shona/Ancestor - although ensemble in part Dowdalls truly caught my eye. Her grit, her feisty performance all made for a thoroughly believable character. Dowdalls for me had bucketfuls of stage presence and there were moments where I couldn’t take my eye off her and I yearned for more from her. One to watch! Also utterly believable in her performance was Yna Tresvalles, who played care-free Jean. What a performance, layered, raw and authentic. Tresvalles truly shine on that stage and her energy was electric.
Ballad Lines isn’t about
spectacle or perfection. It’s about connection, between song and listener,
between strangers sharing a room, between whatever you arrive with and whatever
you leave carrying a little more lightly. Thoughtful, intimate, and quietly
generous, it was the kind of evening that doesn’t demand attention but gently
earns it.
Ballad Lines runs until 21 March
2026 at Southwark Playhouse, London
Reviewer - Mary Fogg
On - 29th January 2026
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