KIDNAPPED - REVIEW - THEATRE ROYAL GLASGOW

The National Theatre of Scotland has reinvented another classic; following the acclaimed success of Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), Isobel McArthur has joined forces again with Michael John McCarthy to bring a new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped. This version of the so-called ‘swashbuckling rom-com adventure’, co-directed by McArthur and Gareth Nicholls, is running at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal before continuing on tour around Scotland and England.

The tongue-in-cheek full title of the original novel pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the plot: ‘Kidnapped: Being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: How he was Kidnapped and Castaway; his Sufferings in a Desert Isle; His Journey in the Wild Highlands; his acquaintance with Alan Breck Stewart and other notorious Highland Jacobites; with all that he suffered at the hands of his Uncle, Ebenezer Balfour of Shaws, falsely so-called: Written by Himself and now set forth by Robert Louis Stevenson’.

This version of Kidnapped adds a queer romance element to David (“Davie”) and Alan’s relationship, which gives new urgency to the various elements at stake on their serendipitous travels. The audience laps this up, cheering for the duo as they find themselves following each other around Scotland by ship and on foot.

Our narrator is Robert Louis Stevenson’s widow, Frances, played by Kim Ismay. She opens the show with several of the talented actor-musician cast (and on-stage musical director Isaac Savage) with uplifting folky energy, before introducing us to the tale.

Frances kindly informs us that she will “lean over” occasionally to sprinkle her influence on the story. The idea of including the writer’s muse is a well-intentioned one, and Ismay is very likeable as Frances, but the additional narration feels largely unconnected to the Kidnapped plotline and doesn’t have much impact until very near the end of the show.

Ryan J MacKay is endearing and innocent as the young protagonist Davie and is delightfully bashful around Alan (played suavely by Malcolm Cumming). The remainder of the cast impressively juggles several parts, garnering much laughter from the audience as sailors (not pirates, thank you very much), vicars, barmen, and more!

Some purposefully vague dialogue about the current monarch ‘King Charles’ and the burdens of being Scottish send out a wave of chuckles around the Theatre Royal. The writing team’s signature use of karaoke songs to propel the story is a feature in this production, along with a few party scenes peppered throughout. These elements feel a bit more shoehorned in than those included in their previous Austen adaptation (where balls and music were a more central part of the plot), but the delightfully chaotic gear shifts certainly make for a fun evening out.

A real highlight of the show, something the National Theatre of Scotland do very well, is fully immersing the BSL performance interpreters (Amy Cheskin and Sarah Forrester) within the show, providing more moments for self-aware comedy rather than simply having an interpreter stand in a corner of the stage throughout.

Ben Ormerod’s contrasting lighting design is bright and colourful for the party sequences, and dark and gloomy to depict the Scottish weather. Anna Orton’s set and costume design is an imaginative blend of the old and new, including road traffic signs, Jacobite shirts, and an impressively long pirate beard!

For fans of Pride and Prejudice (*sort of), or a good adventurous romp, this new version of Kidnapped brings Robert Louis Stevenson to a modern audience with a hefty sprinkle of fun.

Kidnapped is on tour until the 20th May 2023, heading to: Edinburgh, Inverness, Perth, Newcastle and Brighton. You can find tickets and more info here!

{🎟 AD: PR Invite – Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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