Saint Joan

Saint Joan is reputed to be George Bernard Shaw's personal favourite of the more than 60 plays he wrote in his lifetime, and it certainly is something special.

This production is made all the more so by its presentation in the unmistakeably spiritual setting of Duddingston Kirk's gardens, alongside a kirk that predates the Maid herself.

Any performance of Saint Joan depends on a strong character in the title role, something that is notoriously difficult to find. Anna Guthrie strikes the perfect balance. She is feisty and strong, without losing the sense that the woman she depicts is still a teenager; na've, yet full of belief in right and wrong, and just a little susceptible to whingeing when others don't understand her.

The play opens with the atmospheric chanting of monks and, unusually, an epilogue where Joan appears to the Dauphin after her death. Although we know that she is eventually burnt at the stake, it still jars to be introduced to her as a resigned apparition, rather than the optimistic young woman that Shaw intended.

There are some minor alterations to the script and a few omissions, and most of them work, but it seems a shame not to give Shaw's brilliantly written opening scene the place it traditionally occupies, especially in this case, where it showcases Alex McSherry's witty take on the enraged, yet easily led Captain Robert.

One alteration that works particularly well, however, is the production's distinctly Scottish feel. Nowosielski's respect of both the setting and the actors' native accents brings the play into a contemporary realm and lends it new relevance. This is a play which urges the audience to reflect rather than judge, and the range of characters echoes the richness of humanity and the variety of our responses.

It is bursting with diverse and impeccably strong performances including Robin Thomson's engaging Inquisitor, David Elliot as Dunois, the compassionate soldier, and Philip Kingscott's humorous portrayal of the mincing, pathetic Dauphin.

As the play's finale approaches, the sun goes down over the loch, the sky gradually darkens, and there is an impression that the passionate, energetic nature of this production would be restricted anywhere else.