Robert Burns: Enjoy a dram as lassies reply to the Bard in new show premiering in Edinburgh
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Imbued with a feel for the darker side of a Capital so frequently synonymous with lofty ambition, big airy buildings and green open spaces, Tam O’Shanter, Tales & Whisky is a show that challenges audience expectations with two of the tales recounted boasting an intentionally ‘lassies feel’ to counterpoint the laddishness of Burns’ works.
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Hide AdAndy Dickinson, Artistic Director of Stolen Elephant Theatre Company, the show’s producers, says, “After a slight delay with dates due to you know what, we are over the moon to be bringing Tam O’Shanter, Tales and Whisky to Edinburgh this spring.
“Featuring arguably Scotland’s most famous lad, the one and only Rabbie Burns, with two lassies replies in the tales, audiences can expect lots of laughs and a little bit of the scary stuff, with a wee nip of the water of life to help take the edge off.”
Tam O’Shanter, Tales & Whisky premieres on Friday, April 15, at the Assembly Roxy, Roxburgh Place, returning on the two following Fridays, April 22 and 29. A contemporary take on the Gothic Edinburgh of Rabbie Burns, it combines Scottish folklore, iconic poetry and live music, all washed down with a wee dram of whisky.
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Hide AdThe show is the brainchild of Dickinson and features three of the bards most famous Gothic poems, two reworked traditional Scottish folk tales, some Burns' ballads, and a dram of one of Scotland’s finest single malts.
The works featured are Death and Dr Hornbook, which tells of an unexpected run-in with Death out on a barren moor, Address to the De’il, an out and out rant at the devil himself, and, of course, Tam O’ Shanter, the undoubted masterpiece of Scotland’s national poet.
Performed by Fiona Herbert, an award-winning storyteller, and Shian Denovan, an award-winning actress who has worked across film, TV and theatre and can currently be seen playing Iris Morgan in Channel 4 TV series Murder In The Carpark, streaming on All4, the cast is completed by writer and performer Dickinson himself.
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Hide AdAudiences will also enjoy some toe-tapping tunes courtesy The Court Of Equity, an ensemble formed to celebrate Burns’ songs and comprising Douglas McQueen Hunter and Douglas Caird, best known as members of folk rock band, The Picts. The Court of Equity focuses on the works of Robert Burns, along with other well known traditional music and songs. They have released two volumes of his songs and poems. The band’s unique musical style lends the adaptability of Scotland’s Bard.
Aimed at Burns’ fans old and new, Tam O’Shanter, Tales and Whisky aims to allow audiences to engage with the bard’s work and the traditions around Scottish folk stories and the telling of tales in a new and dynamic way.
Further details and tickets, priced £15 (£12 concessions), for Tam O’Shanter, Tales and Whisky at the Assembly Roxy are now on sale here.
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