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Review from 2002 Edinburgh
Fringe
Awarded the 2003 Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland For Best new
Play.
2003 Cats Awards Full
Details
Revived at Traverse Touring to Canada and around Scotland and to Salisbury
Festival 2003.
Touring Dates
Outlying Islands
Drams 
Venue Traverse Venue 15
Address Cambridge St off Lothian Road
Reviewer Thelma Good
Two young ornithologists John, and Robert arrive on the eve of WW2 on
one of the wee Outer Scottish Islands in David Greig's new play for the
Traverse. They've been asked to survey the now uninhabited island, its
migrating birds especially. With them are Kirk, its owner and his niece
Ellen. They have come to take birds for food as they do every year.
Laurence Mitchell as Robert the cool scientist and Sam Heughan's slightly
younger, less focused John are both compelling performances. They're clean
cut specimens of Cambridge academia speaking with 30s English accents
though John's from Edinburgh. Both interest Ellen, Lesley Hart, head full
of the romance of the movies. Robert Carr's Kirk is the Highland man never
giving away much in his few direct words, secured by his life's remoteness
and his Christian faith.
Fiona Watt's set of the primitive Chapel where the young men stay makes
a Celtic spiral with a grassy cliff top above, with only flames to light
it. It becomes clear the island is the fifth actor, pulling them all to
their outlying edges.
It is engrossing, Grieg's writing is strong and tight but he hasn't pushed
at the boundaries of play structure or layering as he often does. And
some like me will miss that challenge from him this time. A good play
finely directed by Philip Howard but not a great play.
© Thelma Good 31 July 2002
Traverse Theatre Company www.traverse.co.uk
Email the company if you wish to buy the published text.
The Award For Best New Play
went to David Greig's Outlying Islands,
a production directed by Philip Howard from that powerhouse of new writing
in Scotland, the Traverse, Edinburgh. It was premiered during the 2002
Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is touring Scotland this May/June 2003.
The play is published by Faber and available from the Traverse, Faber
and good bookshops. 2003 Cats Awards Full
Details
Review
by Ksenija Horvat of Tour production which has same cast and production
team with photo.
2003 Touring Dates for Traverse Theatre's Production
of Outlying Islands.
9 - 13 Apr in Canada Toronto World Stage Festival
23 Apr - 10 May at Edinburgh Traverse Theatre 0131 228 1404
13 May - 17 May at Glasgow Citizens' Theatre 0141 429 0022
20 May - 21 May at Kirkcaldy Adam Smith Theatre 01592 412929
27 May - 29 May at Salisbury Festival 01722 320 333
3 June - 4 June at Inverness Eden Court Theatre 01463 234 234
5 June - 5 July in Scottish Highland tour - venues tbc - the final week
in Shetland.
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