A well informed and interesting piece, though more educational than entertaining.
The Burns Project is an extremely interesting premise: verbatim poetry, letters, and other writings, all to do with the turbulent life of Robert Burns. Set at an intricately designed dinner table, The Burns Project delivers on its promise for an immersive, imaginative and interactive night. In fact, this piece accomplishes what it sets out to do: to deliver a “unique theatrical experience exploring the complicated life and legacy of Robert Burns”. Unfortunately, this piece severely lacks a central provocation to drive the piece forward, leaving the audience feeling more educated than emotionally moved.
Writer and performer, James Clements, takes on the task of embodying Burns. For the most part, Clements is successful. A very capable performer, Clements is capable of seeming romantic and braggadocious all at once, while being magnetic enough to keep the audience’s attention, even through sections of texts that are harder to comprehend. Despite this, somewhat ironically, this version of Burns hardly ever seems to come down to the audience’s level. Clements’ performance is consistently larger than life, leading to a feeling that this Burns is floating above us – a stark contrast to the intimacy of the set.
Music and vocals by Lisa Rigby accompany Clements’ performance. Rigby is a multifaceted and very talented performer, utilising various instruments throughout. Her arrangements are extremely fitting, and seamlessly flux between pieces for pure ambience and musical numbers. The addition of this musical element creates a series of transitions that keep the play’s structure fluid, and constantly moving, making the pace steady throughout. All of Rigby’s songs were reassuring, charming and dreamlike, though perhaps at times this worked against the play’s potential.
By far, The Burns Project’s most impressive element is its set design by Jenny Booth. A long dinner table is kitted out with lights, moveable elements and other hidden surprises. It is extremely impressive what Booth is capable of hiding right in front of you. To mention specific elements would ruin the magic. Without a doubt, this element packs the most punch, and the show is recommendation-worthy because of this alone.
Where this show comes short is in its overarching meaning (or lack thereof), and the piece’s direction. The Burns Project is ostensibly a historical biopic. Biopics of any sort are a tricky balance; one person’s life often does not offer a clean narrative arc. It is the writer’s duty to distil some meaning – be it a provocation or a question. Broadway’s most famous historical biopic, Hamilton, whittled this down to Alexander Hamilton’s overwhelming paranoia, the key question being “why do you write like you’re running out of time?”. Of course, this would be an unfair comparison, that is, on any level other than writing. Clements never truly delivers a provocation to do with Burns’ life. Instead, we watch Burns come-of-age, grow old and then die. We are aware of his triumphs and his scandals, but there is nothing being said of it. What results is a biopic, made up of impressive scraps and documents, that is indeed “exploring” Robert Burns, but excavating nothing. Ultimately, this play emerges as an educational evening (indeed, valuable in its own right) but missing something of the theatre.
Direction by Cora Bissett could have elevated the material to make up for this. Unfortunately, Bissett’s direction has a hard time filling the space. Burns is larger than life and indeed magnetic, but the intimate space begs for an intimate experience. Yet, Burns can feel so far away. Some further focus on how to bring Scotland’s most famous Romantic poet down to our level cannot help but improve this piece.
In the end, it is hard to know what to make of The Burns Project. For a piece created in collaboration with National Trust for Scotland, it is surely positive to say that this reviewer now knows much more about Robert Burns. That said, if you are a fan of Burns, you’ll undoubtedly be pleased.
The Burns Project runs at The Royal Lyceum until the 5th of July. Tickets here.