Tom Clayton
The Trollogy, is a fun and whimsical musical that looks into the lives of gnomes and their troll workforce. With great music throughout this show funny show will keep you engaged throughout, as they delve into all the idiosyncrasies of gnome life.
The story follows Gerome the air to the gnome kingdom, taking us through Gnomeville, the mines and the trolls that work down there, who are looked down upon by the gnomes. He seems kind and emphatic to the trolls unlike the gnomes before him, even falling for one and this starts to shift his thoughts around trolls how they are being treated.
The Trollogy is funny and upbeat, with plenty of well written jokes and physical gags. Sets a tone that this is a light hearted show, from the opening number there’s a gag of the Gnomeville sign doubling up as instructions for the crowd to sing along is very frivolous. It puts you at ease allows you to now that the performs are aware this is a silly show.
The musical score underlining the show is well written adding empathy and emotion to the show and pivotal scenes throughout. For a small production to have a full band on stage feels like a luxury but it allows for greater depth in the music, clearly something creator cares about.
With a nice mix of musical numbers and scenes in between the pacing of the show still at times feels a bit off, with lots being set up and establishing this world takes some time. However, this consequently means that the finale and it’s build up starts to become quite rushed with each scene just jumping quite hard into the next one, there’s even a self-referential joke about the time jump in story at one point.
Despite the musical score being well written the lyrics accompanying it were not to the same standard. Often either lacking range in the way information was being communicated to feeling that songs themselves were crowbarred in. Fun and lively at times they still a little forced in and having the microphones on the floor at the front of meant that getting from story into song felt like a stop each time.
The commentary that the gnomes and trolls are a reflection on society right now and the differences that the UK and the wider world are experiencing feels a bit lost within the show. The ending feels somewhat inconclusive with them trying to say how there’s of us in all us doesn’t quite hit home.
The Trollogy is an enjoyable, silly and very fun show that will send you out feeling better than when you went in. It’s one that isn’t taking itself too seriously and you shouldn’t either cause you’ll enjoy it all the more.
Recommended Drink: A nice soothing glass of chive tea to enjoy in Gnomesville.
Performances of The Trollogy have concluded at Dundee Fringe 2026.
Ellen Leslie
