Review: Love is love in ramshackle retelling of Stevenson’s Kidnapped

Retelling of classic tale flawed by shambolic and anachronistic creative melee

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, then on UK tour

Judging by the romantic attraction of David Balfour and Alan Breck Stuart depicted in the National Theatre of Scotland’s raucous retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped, they may well have approved of the production’s anachronistic poppy score featuring songs by Eighties favourites such as The Communards, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, as well as possibly the most painful rendition ever of Erasure’s Respect.

Told by Robert Louis Stevenson’s wife, Frances, forcefully brought to life by Kim Ismay as she reflects on her life with the author, noting similarities between their relationship and that of his Kidnapped heroes, she flits in and out the action stitching the narrative together, often with a melodic country twang and guitar to strum.

Stevenson’s historic tale of survival in the face of adversity, political and otherwise, unfolds through the use of an ensemble of actor musicians who fight valiantly to shine amid the creative chaos around them; cross-casting and loose direction delivering an often shambolic melee that too often breaks the truth of the performances. Nevertheless, the ensemble give it their best shot, with varying degrees of success.

It’s as if all 17 members of the creative team threw their every thought at the stage and left them there in the hope they’d stick. The result is ramshackle, the kind of staging you might expect were Mrs Brown’s Boys to ever tackle the work of RLS.

That lack of stage craft ensures that the magic of the most emotional moments is spoiled, usually by the arrival of a random strolling player to break the spell; a presence as unwanted as a signalong at The Bodyguard.

Despite this, Ryan J MacKay, a nervy, vulnerable Balfour with a steely core, and Malcolm Cumming as the dandy Jacobite Stuart both seize the day and commit to their characters with a wit and sensitivity that is captivating.

Their performances alone are worth the ticket price and their conviction pays off to deliver a beautiful, heart-wrenching denouement that justifies any investment in their dramatic journey, one that will be only too familiar to anyone who has ever fallen in love.

Runs at the Royal Lyceum until Saturday 22 April then on tour, detials here https://www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/events/kidnapped