Two Scottish Plays

It’s not every day that you see a production, which hails from across the old pond in Scotland. That is why I find it interesting that I’ve seen two Scottish productions in the span of a month. 

Most recently, I caught The Promise at 59E59 Theaters. The reviews were mixed on this production; however, I appreciated Joanna Tope’s non-stop performance in this one-person production about a teacher (Maggie Brodie) who comes out of retirement to substitute teach in a London school for a day.  At first she appears to have it all together until slowly her demons are uncovered. Isn’t that how it always is? At the end of the performance, as Joanna Tope caught her breath and bowed, I sighed, exhausted along with her.

And last month, I trekked out to Dumbo to see yet another Scottish production - Beautiful Burnout at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Reminiscent in some ways of the film Million Dollar Baby directed by Clint Eastwood, Beautiful Burnout while not original was visually appealing to watch. 

 

Overall, I was happy to see Scotland represented in the New York theater scene and look forward to more in the future.