Nocturne – a journey through the dark

It was billed as ‘a new musical’ and ‘a journey through the dark’. I’m not a fan of musicals, and morality tales usually leave me unmoved. I only went because it was Norwegian!

Not a clue what to expect, and the flyer didn’t give too much away. So it was an act of faith, on a baking hot day in York, to head for a small studio theatre with an entirely black interior where even if you’d sat in the back row – and I sat right at the front – you’d have still been in the way of the actors.  Mercifully, the Friargate Theatre had their air-conditioning on Warp 10.

So there we were, we few, we timorous few, waiting for the fun, when the lights went out and the performance space was transformed into a Norwegian meadow with a 12 year-old girl calling for her cow. Am I selling this to you?

All I had known in advance was that this would be a re-telling of a Norwegian folk-tale, with some songs based on Norwegian folk music. There’d be singing, dancing, ‘physical theatre’ (people jumping around a lot) and some puppetry. And it is a tale with a moral. Maybe not to everyone’s taste?

But why not? This troupe of British and (two) Norwegian actor/singer/dancers were an absolute joy to watch. The production is pacey, well-designed, cleverly-constructed and extremely well-performed. The costumes and puppet work were outstanding. They clearly love what they do and were completely engaged in it. Voices, grimaces, excellent movement around the performance space, and the confidence of professionals who trust their material and each other implicitly. The moral element is played ‘lite’ but it had even me ready to shout out ‘use your magic flute!’, when the going got tough.

Nocturne Musical (and that is their website and social media hashtag) had just performed at the Brighton Festival Fringe and have now been nominated for their first award – for an international touring company – which might bring them much-needed funding. They plan to return north during their 2027 programme, so watch out for them. Norwegian forests, folk costume, songs and a happy ending are waiting for you.

Stephen Keeler

YASS

York, 30 May 2026