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The Laird O' Grippy (1955) - An Adaption into Scots of The Miser (L'Avare) by Molière (1622 - 1653). The Laird of Grippy was first performed by the Edinburgh Gateway Company in 1955.

Adaptor - Robert Kemp (1908 - 1967).
Director - Tony Cownie.
Lighting Designer - Jenny Kagan..
Music arranged and perfomed by - Iain Johnstone.
Company - Dundee Rep Resident Company. EdinburghGuide page on Dundee Rep
Cast - here .
Venue - Dundee Rep, Tay Square. www.dundeerep.co.uk
01382 223530
Dates - PREVIEWS: Sat 19 & Tues 22 April 7.45pm
23 April -10 May at 7.45pm Not Suns Mats -Sats 26 April & 3 May - 2.30pm.
Run Time - 2 hours including 15 mins interval.
Reviewer - Thelma Good .

Tickles our humour in a lively Scottish tongue.

The Laird O' Grippy - Dundee Rep Production. Sandy Neilson as the Laird and Ann Louise Ross as Mistress Frizel. © Douglas Robertson 2003.

Robert Kemp created and translated for the newly emerging Scottish Theatre plays he hoped would help grow our Scottish theatre style. This revival on the Dundee Rep stage gives us the delight of seeing a play which lightly speaks directly to our hearts and tickles our humour in a lively Scottish tongue. If you're not a native the programme has an excellent glossary sae sae ye'll nae warsle wi' tirrievie.*

Sandy Neilson's Laird o' Grippy is there as the lights come up dozing in his wooden arm chair dressed in worn clothes that have seen better days. Waken by a sound he grabs his strong box, a spade and showing surprising speed dashes out to the yard. From the start it's clear he, like Hobbes, expects the world to take all that's precious from him.

His daughter Elspeth, Claire Dargo we discover talking to Hector, Rodney Matthews, the Laird's steward who is obviously much taken with her. Indeed they've just come to an agreement but fear the Laird's reaction. But they're not the only ones with romance in their hearts, Nigel, the Laird's son, appears dressed resplendently in silks and lacy falderals. He's good with the cards and magnificent dandy played with panache by Andrew Clark. He's fallen for a young woman, Mirren, Emily Winters, lodged in the Lawnmarket - yes he too has got news for their father.

The Laird O' Grippy - Dundee Rep Production. Keith Fleming as Bodkin and Andrew Clark as Nigel. © Douglas Robertson 2003.

But when broaching the topic of marriage Nigel is surprised to find his father's there before him. Marriage is on his mind also, unfortunately "like father like son" they are attracted to the same young lady. But things aren't great for Elspeth either her father plans to marry her off that night to Mr Cramond as well as introduce Mirren to her soon to be stepchildren.

With the fat already hot and spilling into the fire the plot develops further flames as Hector agrees to try help the Laird's plans and a local cove Bodkin, Keith Fleming, tries to help his friend Nigel. While the highly comical and understandably mispronounced Mistress Frizel, Anne Louise Ross, the Laird's matchmaker finds herself swayed by the sight of true love. Alexander West as Jock the cook/coachman and Janine Mellor the only well English accented character, the superbly sullen Meg are the much put upon servants at Grippy's house. The law gets called in the shape of Keith Fleming's highly amused Captain but it's Mr Carmond, Robert Paterson who finally supplies the needed resolution.

And that's the delight of this cast they give tight performances, full of comic yet touching business. And as they handle the lines with their frequent tongue twisters and sharp witted exchanges ably, the whole sizzles to a satisfying conclusion. Looking at Kemp's adaptation in this production it's as if he and Cownie have restored to us a play set in post 1715 Scotland that our puritanical history denied us.
© Thelma Good 23 April 2003. - Published on EdinburghGuide.com

* sae ye'll nae warsle wi' tirrievie - so you will not wrestle with confusion.

Cast: Nigel - Andrew Clark, Elspeth - Claire Dargo, Bodkin/Captain - Keith Fleming, Hector - Rodney Matthews, Meg - Janine Mellor, The Laird o' Grippy - Sandy Neilson, Mr Cramond/Soloman - Robert Paterson, Mistress Frizel - Ann Louise Ross, Mirren - Emily Winters and Jock - Alexander West.

Robert Kemp (1908 - 1967) also translated Molière's L'Ecole des Femmes into Let Wives Tak Tent (1948) done in 2001 by Pitlochry Festival Theatre - review of that production. He adapted Sir David Lindsay's C16th masterpiece Ane Satyre of the Trie Estaitis for the 1949 Edinburgh Festival which has been much revived. His own plays include The Other Dear Charmer, The Penny Wedding and The Heart is Highland. He also co-founded the Edinburgh Gateway Company (1953 -1965) which produced 150 plays and was hugely influential in setting up what has become a flourishing Scottish theatre scene.

Tony Cownie a fine director of comedies has recently directed Shakespeare's Taming of The Shrew and Liz Lochhead's adaptation of Moliere's The Misanthrope, Miseryguts both for the Royal Lyceum company Edinburgh. He will directing at the Lyceum both their Christmas Play, Stuart Patterson's The Princess and The Goblin and David Mamet's comedy A Life in The Theatre in the 2003 - 4 Season.

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