Gavin Paul takes on the role of Robert Burns in an intimate account of the poet’s time spent in Edinburgh. Largely based on true events depicted in Donald Smith’s novel Between Ourselves, the play also speculates on the possibility of Burns’ relationship with Deacon Brodie.
Opening with a fragmented seven minute film set around the streets of Edinburgh, the one man play went on to trace the poet’s encounters and emotions during his stay in the capital. Though the acting was wonderful, Paul was slightly let down by the script. A great of the speech was well structured, with some very poetic descriptions of the people Burns knew. On the other hand, the script didn’t flow very well, instead chopping and changing between different sequences. Despite this, the passion in Paul’s acting resulted in a powerful performance, as we were invited to see a side to Burns not usually depicted. The theatre company describes the play as ‘uncovering the man behind the myth’ and goes some way towards achieving that. We see Burns not just as a poet, but as a man going through highs and lows in a snapshot of his life.
Paul’s depiction of Robert Burns will delight fans of the bard. Though the script itself could have been stronger, the strength of the acting makes for a very interesting and passionate show.
