Theatre review: Aisling's Children

Published on Sunday 26 July 2009 22:15

** EDINBURGH CASTLE ESPLANADE

THE Robert Bruce moment said it all, really, about the hazards of mounting a show like Aisling's Children, the one-hour pageant of Scottish history performed on the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade on Saturday night to celebrate the weekend's Clan Gathering and the wider Year of Homecoming. About ten minutes into the show, a young actor dressed as Robert the Bruce appeared in a puff of smoke, holding a big broadsword, and sounding out the famous words about freedom from the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath.

The only problem was that his hidden microphone wasn't working, so a stagehand in a tracksuit appeared, put a pop-star style hand-held mic in his hand, and left the actor to maintain his dignity as best he could, while all around the audience of 8,000 assorted clansmen and women dissolved into 21st century giggles.

It's difficult to feel anything but sympathy for the 100-strong team of performers, crew and extras involved in staging Aisling's Children. On one hand, they were faced with an impossible remit of providing a short historical show that would retain some integrity, while meeting the needs of an audience interested in a clan-based interpretation of Scottish history that only tells about a tenth of the story. And on the other hand, they had to stage it for one full performance only, assembling in a couple of weeks a show on almost the same scale as the Tattoo.

Only a brilliant, driving, script, and a performance of terrific pace and slickness can keep a show of this kind clear of all the risks of bathos and absurdity it runs; and in the end Aisling's Children had neither.

Raymond Ross's text – evoking the spirit of six generations of Macleans, from ancient mythical foremother Aisling to a modern Australian on his way back for the Homecoming – amounted to a catalogue of mainly Highland defeat and misery, focussing on the battles of Flodden and Culloden, the Clearances and the butchery of Scottish soldiers in Britain's wars, to the exclusion of almost every other aspect of Scotland's story.

It had no geography, no balanced sense of history, and above all no defensible politics, since it utterly failed to leaven this blood-based account of "Scottishness" with any sense of the inclusive concept of citizenship on which modern Scotland is supposed to pride itself.

And although the show benefited from the work of top choreographer Mark Murphy and leading lighting designed Phil Supple, the fact is the occasional inspired and spectacular moment in the staging – particularly the explosion into whirling fragments of a croft burned in the Clearances – could never compensate for the overall lack of shape or dynamism in the storytelling. Nor could they – and nor could James Sutherland's disappointingly patchy score – give the show the visual, conceptual and musical coherence it lacked.

The cast worked hard, with Clare Waugh turning in a strikingly strong, emotional performance as Effie Maclean, the 19th-century widow sent to Australia with her young son.

But in the end, this show had the odd effect of making the playing of the massed pipe bands from the Clan Gathering, which formed the finale, look like the epitome of polished and sophisticated high art – because it had shape, rhythm, purpose, and a clear, distinctive visual style, on a scale that finally proved beyond the reach of Aisling's Children, and of the intrepid team of artist who tried to bring the show to life.

COMING HOME

What people who attended The Gathering thought of the event:

"We've been preparing to come here for more than 18 months and around 30 of us from all over the world made it over.

"I would like to see this become a regular event, particularly if it helps generate more interest in Scotland in traditional clan culture and traditions."

Dennis McAllister, president of the Clan McAlister Society

"I'm right at the end of a four-week holiday in Scotland and it's only by chance I ended up coming to The Gathering. I went for a walk up Arthur's Seat the other day and saw the site. I had to ask at the hostel what was going on and they told me I couldn't miss it. "I'm so lucky to have made it right at the end of my holiday and it's been great over the last two days, particularly the music."

Rick Cernoch, 23, a medical student from Switzerland

"Some elements of the show were pretty impressive, but parts of it had the feel of a party political broadcast for Alex Salmond. But I definitely think the event should become a regular fixture."

Pauline McLeod, 33, a voice coach from Aberdeen

"Everyone we've met has been so hospitable and informative, the food has been absolutely fantastic and we've just loved everyone's tartan costumes."

Diana Watson, 54, from California

"I'm originally from Arbroath but left when I was three years old and have only been back to Scotland a few times since then and not for more than 15 years. "We just came up for the weekend after reading about The Gathering on the internet and didn't really know what to expect, but it's been lovely.

Robert Matheson, retired, 61, from Gloucestershire