Two
drunken Irishmen in Edinburgh supplement their pittance of an
income by selling the body of a dead lodger to a Dr in Surgeons
Square. Astounded by the fortune given for the body several other
“volunteers” both willing and unwilling find their way to the
anatomy table of the Notorious Dr Knox.
This
production of the famous story tells the whole tale up to the
sentencing and pardon of Burke and Hare. The leading performers
Rob Crouch and Jonathan Clarkson produced two fairly loveable
rogues who stayed in character despite the disposition of one of
the cast. The stand-in used his script, this caused one
particularly humorous moment when no one seemed to know where they
should be and everyone checked the script. Genevieve Swallow and
Tara Hendry portray the two partners and other parts. The costumes
although basic are fitting for the period and wealth of the
characters. The set fairly minimal with a couch, which has a mind
of its own and at one point wanted to swallow up Hare (it was
hilarious but he coped well). Amongst the vast array of strange
productions on the fringe this is a nice well produced humorous
play with a touch of local history for visitors.
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