Kidnapped, National Theatre of Scotland Review

★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Kathryn

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

I claim to be an avid reader but the plot of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel Kidnapped is not one I’m familiar with. It’s set around real-life events that took place in 18th-century Scotland - notably the events that occurred in the aftermath of the 1745 Jacobite rebellion.

Now, this may sound quite heavy for a couple of hours at the theatre, but the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of Kidnapped, adapted for the stage by Isobel McArthur with Michael John McCarthy (known best for their work on the award-winning Pride & Prejudice* (*sort of)), is jam-packed with music, comedy, emotion and pure energy.

Kidnapped follows the story of newly orphaned teenager Davie Balfour as he leaves his little border home town of Essendean to seek out his uncle - just two days walk away. Unfortunately for Davie, his uncle has a few secrets to hide, and after being sold off to a rag-tag bunch of pirates, Davie sets out on an eye-opening adventure across both land and sea.

Ryan J Mackay’s performance as Davie was phenomenal. He’s on stage for pretty much the whole show but he never skipped a beat. I felt really connected with his performance and you got the sense of Davie being this young lad who has been thrust out on this adventure, really through no actions of his own, and just feeling a bit lost and overwhelmed.

Other notable performances were from Malcolm Cumming as Jacobite soldier Alan Breck Stewart, friend and love interest of Davie, and Kim Ismay as Frances, Robert Louis Stevenson’s wife who is in effect the narrator of the tale. Frances was key in the original writing of Kidnapped and many of the events in the story reflect her own life. In choosing her as narrator, McArthur and McCarthy have successfully weaved Frances’ story through the adaptation of the novel highlighting the parallels between the two.

Kidnapped also features a truly multi-talented ensemble that portrays various characters from lowlander villagers to a completely inept crew of pirates - all while singing, dancing AND playing various instruments.

Music is key to the show and I really appreciated how traditional Scottish music and Gaelic singing were incorporated alongside more modern songs such as ‘A Little Respect’ by Erasure. Sometimes it was hard to remember what century the show was set in as the adaptation features so many modern touches and references. This added to the entertainment value and provided lots of laughs - I certainly didn’t expect a highlander clan cave hideout to actually be a secret casino with dance music and disco lights!

The set and lighting design by Anna Orton and Ben Ormerod respectively, really drew you into the action. The staging was minimal, using a few key set pieces that could be transformed for multiple locations throughout the story. The lighting was great across the whole show but was especially effective in the opening of Act 2 which takes place underwater. I was completely captivated.

Overall, Kidnapped feels very Scottish. And I guess that’s part of the point. So many themes of the play can draw parallels with conversations that still take place today, mainly around politics, coming of age and identity, justice, and acceptance of friends who may have different views from yourself. It highlights a lot of Scottish culture and history, and plays on parts of modern-day Scottish life - even down to giving the teenagers cans of Irn Bru when they are knocked back from buying a pint at “The Bam and Anchor” pub for not having any ID!

Kidnapped is a joyful, jam-packed show that will have audiences across Scotland laughing out loud and even perhaps, shedding a wee tear.

Kidnapped is at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock until Friday 31 May, before the show tours to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness, Perth, Newcastle and Brighton Festival.

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