REVIEW: The Seal-Woman (Scots Opera Project)

The Seal-Woman – ★★★☆☆ – Mythic

The Scots Opera Project
28 & 29 Aug; 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14 Sept
Review by Rebecca Mahar
 
The Scots Opera Project returns to Pitlochry Festival with The Seal-Woman, diving into the music of the Hebrides and the legend of the mythical selkie.
 
Described as a Celtic folk opera, The Seal-Woman premiered in 1924 with a score by Granville Bantock and libretto by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser. The opera follows the story of its titular character, a selkie who, along with her sister, removes her seal-skin to frolic on land, thinking it free of humans— only to find herself trapped by an islesman whose boat has left him behind. The sailor gives her a choice: remain on land and marry him, and he will return her sister’s skin, or refuse and doom them both to live as humans.
 
Performed in the outdoor amphitheatre of the Explorers Garden at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, The Seal-Woman fits beautifully into its surroundings, even as autumn descends and the singers’ breath becomes visible. The opera is directed and produced by David Douglas, who has made clever use of a tall, weathered back wall of varying heights that resembles a rocky shore or cliff, from over which the selkies peep. Beneath a raised stone slab, the musicians shelter: Andrew Johnston (MD/Keys), Esther Swift (Harp), and Claire Telford (Violin), providing an elegant interpretation of the score.

Sioned Gwen Davies as The Seal-Woman. Pic: Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

The Seal-Woman is performed with nuance and agony by Sioned Gwen Davies, whose rich and soaring mezzo perfectly encapsulates the mythic creature she embodies. Likewise, Colleen Nicoll as The Seal-Sister flits between childlike wonder and despair with flashes of anger, filling the long stretches in which she is an observer to the action between others with radiant pathos. 
 
The Islesman feels as if the opera is written with the assumption that the audience will find him a romantic figure, and indeed David Douglas’s soulfully sung recounting of how he first encountered the Seal-Woman are enough to raise hopes of a happy ending. However, when his inevitable betrayal arrives, Douglas mingles jealous sharpness and predatory movement with the Islesman’s declarations of love. 

David Douglas as The Islesman and Colin Murray as The Fisherman. Pic: Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

The Seal-Woman is not a romance, but a tragedy of coercion, and this production does not try to convince its audience otherwise. It tackles well The Seal-Woman’s conflict, particularly in the second act which takes place seven years later, after she has given birth to a child, Morag. Mirroring a cautionary tale told between the sisters in the first act about a Water-Kelpie (Colin Murray) who married a human woman and was abandoned when she discovered his true nature, the selkie must wrestle with her urge to return to the sea.
 
There are a few weaknesses, however, among them overuse of the central raised setpiece as a place for singers to stand and deliver, the decision to make Morag invisible rather than creating an opportunity for a child performer, the underuse of a twenty-three strong community chorus. The last may be a problem of the opera itself, however, as are the majority of the production’s weaknesses. 

Ulrike Witschet (centre) as The Cailleach with the Community Chorus and Musicians of The Seal-Woman. Pic: Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

 
Structurally, the opera is odd. Opening with an extended recitative by The Cailleach (Ulrike Witscher) that seems to set her up as the narrator, she then functionally drops out of that role for the remainder of the piece. The chorus appear for a few moments at a time, then vanish, serving little dramatic purpose. Stretches of excellence such as the confrontation of the Islesman and the selkies are unfortunately surrounded by inconsistencies not only of structure, but of things such as naming a character The Cailleach and then having her fear selkies and call upon Christian saints.
 
Despite these challenges, the Scots Opera Project have created a rich revival of this lesser-known opera, taking full advantage of the opportunities offered by its venue. Full of excellent performances and unvarnished emotional complexity, The Seal-Woman is well worth a trip to Pitlochry and wrapping up warm to watch it performed in the open air.
 
Running Time: Two hours and five minutes with one interval
Venue: Pitlochry Festival Theatre (Explorers Garden Amphitheatre), Port-na-Craig, Pitlochry PH16 5DR
28 & 29 Aug; 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14 Sept 2025
Time: 5:00pm 28 Aug – 12 Sept, 1:00pm 14 Sept
Tickets: https://www.pitlochryfestivaltheatre.com/whats-on/the-seal-woman/