A Triumphant Celebration of Imperfect Scots with a Sensational Performance
Common Tongue follows the life of Bonnie as she fights class, prejudice and a language barrier that is not often explored. It is a celebration of Scottish language, in all its forms, and is unendingly proud of Scottish culture and heritage.
Fraser Scott writes a tight script that is engaging from the start to the finish. The journey of the character is incredibly told and has the ability to be moving, hilarious and almost sentimental in the same breath. What Scott manages to capture is the very real issues facing Scots language speakers in society. There was a time when speaking any Scottish dialect was considered working class, and the expectation was to speak proper English. This play expertly celebrates the revival of the Scottish language while reminding us it was not long ago when the idea of speaking Scots wasn’t as popular. The final poetic monologue is a particular highlight of this writing, it is bold, brilliant and beautiful.
The play is performed by Olivia Caw, who surely is going to be one of the faces of Scottish Theatre for a long time. She is jaw droppingly brilliant in the role of Bonnie. She commands the stage with effortless charm and does not let her energy drop for one solitary minute. The subtlety in which she alters her accent to reflect her character’s journey is so good that it is impossible to track the moment it changes. Simply put, this is an unmissable performance.
Scott directs the piece as well, and does a wonderful job to fill the stage with so little on show. The simplicity of the set and lighting only elevates the piece, shining at the moments it needs to. Mela Adela and Benny Goodman excel in their designs.
This play is a must see for any fan of Scottish Theatre. It is exactly the direction our theatre should be heading, celebrating our language and our stories in spite of whatever class was given to us. It must be seen and spoken about to build a new and bolder Scottish Theatre scene.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/common-tongue
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: Netherbow Theatre at Scottish Storytelling Centre
Dates:7th – 31st August (Not 12th, 19th, 26th)
Time: 14.45
Ticket prices: £16.00 / concessions £14.00
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 12+ (Guideline)
This is so gorgeous, thank you thank you thank you x