My
immediate impression after seeing this new musical by David Warrack was
the power and quality of the singing both individually and collectively.
With a dozen or so performers in the cast and most of them having their
own solo, there was a consistently high standard throughout the
performance.
The story
of Rob Roy and his creation as a folk hero provides rich scope for
musical theatre. Although not costumed in the clothes of the period,
this Canadian company did convey the Scottishness of the action and the
Scottish accents were convincing, perhaps too convincing at times. In
terms of the acting scenes, David Dunbar’s portrayal of the Duke of
Montrose did bring out his malevolent arrogance in a comedic way. As
might be expected most of the songs were of the rousing type or love
songs but there were a number of surprises. Michael Mackenzie Danso as
the Bard sang ‘He’s a magician’ in a slick cabaret style.
From the
programme notes, it was explained that this version was a scaled down
one act version of what will be a full length production. Given the
limitations director Di Nyland Proctor has done an effective job in
creating a coherent piece of musical theatre. It will be interesting to
see a fully costumed production in its entirety at some time in the
future.
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