Produced by One More Saga, Norwegian folk-musical Nocturne makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut this year. Inspired by a number of traditional Norwegian folklore tales, Nocturne tells the story of Solveig as she ventures into the enchanted forest in order to find her missing cow. The further she forges into the forest, the stranger creatures she meets – kind-natured and helpful, Solveig puts her own quest aside to free these fairytale creatures from the curse of Nøkken – “the water spirit of beauty and dread.” As the curse is lifted, the creatures remember their stories, and eventually, so does Solveig.
Solveig is played by the multi-talented Hedda Rustad Carlsen, who also co-wrote Nocturne, working on the composition and lyrics as well as the book. Carlsen gives us a very sweet and endearing impression of Solveig, capturing the child-like wonder of the character, as well as her headstrong passion. Alongside Carlsen, Leah Sperring also worked on the writing of the book as well as playing the cheeky and mischievous House Mouse. Working in a fun duo with Sperring was the Country Mouse, played by Helena Rustad Carlsen (another member of the production team). This is clearly a very close-knit team, who have worked very collaboratively to create a musical full of charm and endearment. The sweet and playful nature of the show works nicely for a day of family fun, capturing a sort of pantomime-like energy. And of course, in any pantomime we need a villain – in Nocturne we have two. Firstly, we have Saskia Douglas as the Old Mother – a more comedic and self-aware villain, bringing sarcasm and sneering, while ultimately keeping Solveig on the right track. Whereas the real villain Nøkken, played by Em-J Smith, brings a much darker energy to the show – being a creature of true evil. Smith gives us both the gracefulness of Nøkken’s white-horse form, as well as the anger of the monstrous form that takes people to their death. The white horse is puppeteered by Smith, and we experience a number of different puppets and costumes that depict other fairytale creatures such as the gigantic trolls. These are designed by Kate Debansi-Farrer, who has managed to experiment and craft a number of large-scale costumes that add to the mythical feel of the show. As does the set-design by Hannah Debansi, building the forest up using hand-made trees and rocks.
Nocturne features a larger than average cast for Fringe, and each cast member brings us fun and easy watching. While I think the show itself doesn’t translate as well for adult audiences, I think if they leaned further into the pantomime energy this could be an excellent children’s show, with many of its story elements already aligning with the pantomime structure. It was also a shame I had a very industrial fan blowing right next to me, so some dialogue was lost on me, specifically that of the Old Mother’s when her head was stuck in the tree – a slightly silly gripe, but it is important to consider these factors in order to make adjustments to the tech. The technical elements were kept simple, and I think with some development, a further incorporation of lighting design would elevate the piece as well. Even so, Nocturne was a fairly solid piece of work, with wit and enchanting delight, but just needs perhaps a bit more camp fun such as was in the “Father” scene (where the son posed as a number of different sons to confuse Solveig). Once Nocturne leans into this playfulness and refines its target market, it will be a hit, I’m sure.
Nocturne runs until the 16th of August at Forest Theatre at Greenside @ George Street, with tickets available at https://nocturnemusical.com/
Reviewer: Jessie Martin
Reviewed: 13th August 2025
North West End UK Rating: