Theatre
Dr Johnson Goes to Scotland
Oran Mor, Glasgow
Mary Brennan
three stars
HE LIKED things to be well defined, did Dr Johnson – his own Dictionary of the English Language is abiding proof of that. However his curiosity about language subsequently extended beyond the origins and precise meanings of words. Could language itself define national identity? He’d given no heed to Wales, Ireland or Scotland when compiling his dictionary, allocating instead a supremacy to his own mother tongue.That belief was briskly upended when Dr Johnson came north to Scotland and there encountered not just the Gaelic but also sign language. Both feature in James Runcie’s merry take on those 1773 travels, the latter given eloquent expression on-stage by Ciaran Alexander Stewart as a pupil of Mr Braidwood’s Edinburgh school for the deaf.
For some three months Johnson and his Scots-born companion James Boswell headed for the distant hills of a land still afflicted by the aftermath of two failed Jacobite uprisings. Runcie’s play, directed at a lively lick by Marilyn Imrie, pinpoints episodes when Johnson’s scathing dismissal of Scotland as a dispiriting waste-land is negated by the natural grandeur of the Western Isles and the natural grit, resilience and hospitality of the people. It’s a gratifying picture of our 18th century antecedents, facing up to poverty and hard times with a flourish of national pride – hinting at a topical characteristic noted, and appreciated, by the audience.
There’s an almost unnerving likeness to Johnson in the be-wigged and frock-coated figure of Lewis Howden, who gives a real sense of the man’s self-confident bombast and pleasure in his own sharp wits and bon mots. Simon Donaldson’s Boswell is a ready defender of his native sod while Gerda Stevenson and Morna Young account for all manner of sonsy womankind as well as the hauntingly lovely Gaelic singing that adds to the pleasures of this piece.
Sponsored by Heineken
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here