Free Solo

FREE SOLO

“Free solo” - A form of climbing which the individual performs alone and without the use of any ropes or other protective equipment.

Hazel was fourteen years old when her father, the world-renowned free solo climber John Robinson, fell to his death.

Eleven years later, Hazel discovers her dad’s old climbing journal. As she flicks through the pages, her memories draw her back into her childhood. A childhood in which Hazel’s family went on camping trips around the world. A childhood in which Hazel’s dad would climb mountains while she and her mum watched on wide-eyed. A childhood in which John was Spiderman; and nothing ever happens to superheroes.

Hazel begins to trace a path through these memories, ecstatic to relive the ups of her life with her dad, reluctant to remember the downs. She finds that the more she discovers about her father, the more she wants to understand who he really was. Why was he so compelled to climb? Why couldn’t he stop? Why would he choose to risk everything he had? All this leads Hazel to the inevitable question: Is she going to be her father?

Free Solo is a new musical about family, overcoming fear, and following in your parents’ footsteps.