Review: Òran – Traverse Theatre

Back in 2024, I reviewed the premiere of Owen Sutcliffe’s pop-culture, hip-hop-infused journey into toxic juvenile masculinity, and declared it a success. Òran has returned for a national tour, which has taken it around the houses (both Scots and English), and which will end at the Curve, Leicester, on the 28th of this month.

Directed by Gordon’s Wonderfools’ co-creator Jack Nurse, soundtracked by VanIves & Ben Deans, and embellished with some very special video and lighting effects by Heather Scott and Benny Goodman, respectively, it’s a pretty spectacular affair as one-man plays go.

If there’s nothing significantly changed since its Fringe debut, Gordon’s command of the show’s blend of dramatic and technical demands seems just a little more assured. He might have a little help from the tech box, but he remains responsible for both performance and soundtracking thanks to a compact digital control pad. It’s the theatrical equivalent of rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time, and he makes it look very easy.

…it’s a pretty spectacular affair as one-man plays go.

Storywise, a year hasn’t made the play’s themes any less relevant, nor has its warning call over the destructive power of cyberbullying become less timely. Is it a bit on the nose here and there? Sure, but then Òran is a high school kid trying to rescue his best friend (and himself) from a digital hell. Forcing an abundance of hyper-nuanced self-reflection into his inner monologue would ring false. This tale is told by him, not about him.

**Òran production shots – ©Ruari Barber-Fleming**

On the whole, I’d say his story rings true.

That’s an assessment born out by the wrapt attention of the multiple school groups I shared the stalls with. Even when Robbie slips into a devilish alter-ego to taunt our unlikely hero, not a titter was heard. Teenagers will quickly let you know if you start havering about their lived experiences, theatre etiquette be damned.

Storywise, a year hasn’t made the play’s themes any less relevant, nor has its warning call over the destructive power of cyberbullying become less timely. Is it a bit on the nose here and there? Sure, but then Òran is a high school kid…

On the whole, this is a compact, pacey, and intense Orpheic adventure, shaded with joy, but staring full in the face of problems without any easy answers. In recruiting the audience into a rallying call a la Alan Partridge, Sutcliffe, Nurse and Gordon make one belief very clear: the solutions to digital isolation lie in life and society beyond the phone screen.

Of course, there’s more to society’s ongoing debate over the virtues and vices of social media, but in underscoring the possibilities of redemption, Òran sees both bully and bullied, and finds hope for both. That’s a message I can get behind, and it’s wrapped in a cracking wee play.

Featured Image: Òran 2025 Production Photography