Ann Coburn’s bittersweet play based around the Eyemouth disaster of 1881, in which more than 100 fishermen lost their lives at sea, is an inspired choice of production for the newly-formed Guild of Lillians, an all-female theatre company dedicated to putting women centre stage. Focussing on the village’s community of fishwives, Get Up and Tie Your Fingers is a tender celebration of these unsung heroines who endured tragedy with Job-like resilience.
Obsessively tidy Jean is trying to teach her bright-eyed daughter Molly the family trade of gutting herrings but is frustrated by her offspring’s whimsical ideas of seeing the world. Her worldly-wise neighbour Janet, meanwhile, attempts to mediate between them by offering a compromise solution. Such family friction, however, is soon forgotten when a hurricane strikes, wiping out more than half the fishing fleet.
Coburn’s lyrical writing bubbles with emotion yet never spills over into sentimentality and the three female leads do an excellent job of conveying an infinite sadness contained within in a shell of stoic pragmatism.
Director Fiona Macpherson’s inclusion of an ensemble, meanwhile, is a masterstroke. Filing on to Alison Ashton’s blue-draped multi-levelled set, these mellifluous performers not only heighten the mood with their spine-tingling a capella performances of Karen Wimhurst’s choral compositions but their presence also helps to reflect the bustle of the small fishing community.
Although the inclusion of contemporary recordings of women working in the fishing industry proves an innovation too far, this is a remarkably accomplished and life-affirming piece of theatre. An inspiring tale of courage and survival, it convincingly shows that hope can thrive even in the darkest of hours.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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