Jacobite Country

Jacobite Country has a lot going for it. It has an award-winning director, is written by an acclaimed writer and has four very good performers. So why does it flatline?

The play is about Haggis McSporran. Whether Haggis is a famous comedian or not, or whether the majority of the play is a dream or not, is unclear. Haggis’ world is populated by his eccentric friend, Craitur Face, his comatose Uncle Angus and a parade of other oddball characters, all of whom are supposed to be symbols of a lost and romanticised Scotland.

And as a script, it just doesn’t work that well. Writer Henry Adam reportedly came up with this as a pitch for a TV programme, which might be why the plot is stilted and episodic. There are some clever lines, and indeed there are moments that show that suggest this could have been a cracking satire if handled differently. Instead, the play is a dramaturgical mess, making its over-the-top characters and collection of jokes carry the weight of a script that makes little sense.

Whatever one thinks of the play, one cannot fault the performers. The ensemble of four women are game for anything (including playing mostly male roles), and they will do just about anything to get a laugh. Lead Sarah Haworth is great as Haggis, constantly full of boisterous energy and playing the stand-up sections as a mad cross between Dennis Leary and Bill Hicks. She is constantly funny and makes some rather stale jokes come alive.

Jacobite Country really should have been a big hit, but with such a cluttered script is nothing more than an adequate 75 minutes. And with so much choice during the Festival, adequate just doesn’t cut it.