Ballad Lines – Review

Ballad Lines: Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London

28th January 2026

★★★★★

One of the most highly anticipated new musicals is now playing at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant. Ballad Lines is a eagerly awaited new folk musical. Billed as a ‘heart-opening musical about the stories we inherit — and the choices each generation makes to break, reshape, or carry them forward.’ Ballad Lines blends Scottish, Irish and Appalachian ballads together with a contemporary score. It tells the story of three generations of women over three centuries, all with the same question – what does it mean to become a mother and at what cost?

Ballad Lines is powerful and strong and doesn’t shy away from tough topics which are still relevant in todays society. It takes audiences on an emotional journey. The powerful storytelling is woven through the script and lyrics with the show being mostly sung through. The emotion is raw and realistic and whilst the women’s lives may be that of fiction it is likely that thousands of women have been in similar situations, and unfortunately still are today.

Each of the small cast deliver stand out performances; full of conviction, passion and emotion. Yna Trasvalles, Frances McNamee and Kirsty Findlay, in particular, lead the show spectacularly. Through Tania Azevedo’s direction the characters are fully embodied by the cast. The cast are clearly unafraid to fully commit to the raw emotion felt by the characters and this enables the audience to fully be taken in. It would have been good to find out more about Morna as she plays a significant role in Cait’s journey but doesn’t quite get the stage time that she deserves, particularly as women like her are often swept under the carpet and not spoken about and yet in history served a real lifeline to many women. A special mention must also go to Ally Kennard, the only male in an almost exclusively female cast and band, not only this but he also takes on all of the male roles in the show, changing character seamlessly.

Finn Anderson’s score is crammed with gorgeous harmonies and soaring dynamics. There are clear influences from its Scottish, Irish roots but also the score adds a modern twist, bringing the ballads to the current day. The songs are performed brilliantly throughout the show, aided by simple choreography and movement by Tinovimbanashe Sibanda. There are moments when the music swells as the tempo increases and then snippets of silence and a capella singing which balance the score out perfectly. The strong accents and use of Scottish slang and cultural words is excellent at adding character to the women, but the only slight issue is that some of the lyrics can be hard to understand during the quicker songs. Ballad Lines is quite unique in its approach and with the hugely successful Curious Case of Benjamin Button also using a folk style recently it is clear that audiences are relishing hearing something new.

TK Hay’s simple set design features a multi-level stage with a mountain backdrop allowing the all-female band to be visible at all times yet not intrude on the intimate storytelling. The ship’s hull suspended above the stage symbolising the huge lengths that Sarah’s family, along with many Scottish/Irish immigrants have travelled to find freedom. The lighting by Simon Wilkinson is effective at adding drama and indicating which character to focus on as often the whole cast are onstage at once. For a cast of eight to all be on such a small stage it could feel cluttered and crowded but it doesn’t, the movements are fluid and work so well with the score that it feels natural and important to have all the cast together.

Ballad Lines takes the audience on a journey spanning changing generations, across continents and countless emotions through its soaring score and superb storytelling, let by an incredibly talented cast. This new musical feels fresh, current and definitely deserves a further life after its initial run at the Southwark Playhouse.

Ballad Lines is playing at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London until the 21st March 2026. For information and tickets click here.

Photo Credit: Pamela Raith