Les Labyrinthes’ Adam Smith Le Grand Tour is an interesting and thought-provoking exploration into the life and ideas of Adam Smith – key figure of the Scottish Enlightenment. A large part of the piece examined his legacy, which turns out is fairly blurred. Two characters take a pilgrimage to his grave (which sits appropriately right in the heart of Edinburgh) in an attempt to make sense of the footsteps he left behind and their intermittent use of cinematic screens displayed this journey through a compelling and innovative use of film.
Overall, an impressively slick production that plays upon both the past and present with first-rate acting that allows a – forgive me – potentially dull idea to flourish in a thoroughly enjoyable piece of theatre.
A French production shown, no less, in the Institut Français d’Ecosse, the audience are welcomed naturally into an intellectually stimulating environment through the immediate eloquence and sincerity of the two French actors. Experienced, professional and slick, the actors left no stones unturned in terms of multiple characterisation, audience engagement and a huge variety in their method of presentation; Frédéric Kneip is seen on stage dressed in Smith’s contemporary attire, whilst the second half of the duo, Vanessa Oltra, teases out of him an impressively anachronistic reenactment of an original address. Oltra is later seen to converse with a politician, chiding the pre-recorded image in his perverted use of Smith’s ideas. The interesting outcome of this play was the overarching idea that philosophies can becomes so misconstrued, or even lost, over time. By snatching snippets of interviews with the public (on the Royal Mile, no less) the obscurity of understanding of Smith’s supposedly essential philosophies is thought-provoking to say the least.
Merging the current economical climate with centuries-old philosophy is not your usual light afternoon entertainment, yet the variety and passion behind these explorations proved to be very successful in the audience’s intellectual ignition, whilst dishing out a good dose of modest humour and entertaining scenes. Overall, an impressively slick production that plays upon both the past and present with first-rate acting that allows a – forgive me – potentially dull idea to flourish in a thoroughly enjoyable piece of theatre.
