Wrens kicks off with a young woman, dressed in naval uniform, sashaying about on stage admiring her beauty in the mirror before bursting into song just like, well, a wren I suppose. The actress playing her had a powerful set of pipes and it was an appealing opening, jolting the audience into alert mode. Amazing what a song can do.

Set during the last days of WWII on a naval base in Orkney, Wrens tells the story of a group of seven or so women living together in barracks whilst working in various jobs in the navy. You have the loud one, the religious one, the promiscuous one and so forth. In terms of character development it’s all a bit colour by numbers.

The acting by the all female cast is of a very high quality and the dialogue is sharp and witty throughout. The script though has problems with pacing as there are periods during the play when the story lags horribly and you’re left staring at someone making tea for 10 minutes.

With an ending that packs an emotional punch and a strong cast Wrens works well as an ensemble drama piece.

Christopher Smail