A Small Mind At The Theatre

Ian Rankin's John Rebus has been stalking the underworld of Edinburgh for over thirty years now in both his novels and various TV adaptations. Here though, with an adaptation by Rona Munro, the, now retired, detective, takes to the stage for the first time, and even to this reviewer, slightly lacking in knowledge (I have read the first two novels a long time ago), it proves an entertaining, if slightly unfulfilling evening at times. The story of Rebus: Long Shadows unfolds following a chance encounter with a young girl on his tenement stairs, the wounds of two unsolved cases of murdered girls open up in Rebus' mind, leading to encounters with old colleague Siobhan Clarke, and recurring nemesis 'Big Ger' Cafferty. At the centre of this whole production is a superb dominating performance by Charles Lawson, depicting the grizzled, weary drink swigging detective with huge skill. His whole demeanour embodies the nature of the character, from his voice to his gait an...

There is no question that over the course of the six plus hours it takes to watch The James Plays, you are never far from having immense enjoyment and regard for the work being performed. However at times during the three plays, it can tend to feel that you are more witness to an "experience" more than three perfect plays. The James Plays are very much an event and one which while you could maybe just attend one of, actually works better seeing all three. However that takes a great deal of commitment from the audience and therefore needs to be rewarded. The James Plays are written by Rona Munro, whose only other work I have encountered was rather fascinatingly a Doctor Who story twenty-seven years ago about human sized cats. I kid you not. Telling the story across the three plays of each of the first three King James of Scotland, from the warrior like James I, onward to the childhood times of James II, onto eventually the frankly madcap antics of James III. The contrast of ...