A commanding stage presence, superb comic
timing and accurate historical research are the hallmark features of
a Bruce Fummey show. His blending of Scottish history and sharp,
contemporary humour works wonderfully well. There is even a touch of
political satire.
Robert the Bruce is probably the most
iconic Scottish hero. His is an epic story of how he overcame all
the odds stacked against him to win the Battle of Bannockburn to
form a nation and forge a national identity. This description is the
stuff of guide books. Bruce Fummey will prove he was a lucky so and
so, and, but for a chain of unlikely events, Scottish history would
have been totally different.
In reality, the Robert the Bruce story is
good ‘soap opera’ material, involving treachery, murder, drugs
and sex.
Bruce Fummey’s appeal might be considered
limited to a Scottish audience. The night I saw him he played to an
international audience, who laughed as much as the Scots and also
the English.
****
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