PPP: Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo?
★★☆☆☆ Unsubtle
Traverse Theatre: Tues 6 – Sat 10 Oct 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo?, the latest Play, A Pie and A Pint offering from Òran Mór’ at the Traverse, has plenty of pace and spirit, but ultimately is an unsatisfactory affair.
Presented with Aberdeen Performing Arts and written and directed by Play, Pie and a Pint Artistic Director Brian Logan, the play takes its title from a famous patriotic response to a performance in 1756 of John Home’s verse tragedy Douglas. This was staged in Edinburgh at a time when theatre in Scotland was almost impossible, largely due to the disapproval of the kirk – a conflict dramatised here.
Gavin Jon Wright. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
Douglas became a cause célèbre, not helped by the fact that Home (Lewie Watson) was himself a minister. He had important allies in the Scottish intelligentsia of the time, not least David Hume (Fraser Sivewright). The philosopher was a distant relative of the playwright, despite his name being spelled differently – a fact that isn’t nearly as funny as the play seems to believe. Repeatedly.
This is not the only gag that falls somewhat flat, with much self-referential stuff about pies, together with jokes about how Scottish theatre people have to go to London to make something of themselves, all of which comes over as somewhat tired.
There is some interesting stuff about Scottish-English relations, the arts and religion, but there is little being said that is new or fresh. The Scots dialogue is earthy and pawky, but consistently delivered at too high a volume, while the narrative is often confusing.
bogged down
At one point, the play gets horribly bogged down in a rather simplistic debate about theatre and theology between the Reverends Witherspoon (Gavin Jon Wright) and Carlyle (Kevin Lennon). Much of this consists of two blokes shouting at each other, which may be an effective metaphor for the history of religion in Scotland but doesn’t make for an elevating theatrical experience.
Fraser Sivewright, Kevin Lennon and Lewie Watson. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
Despite the efforts of a versatile cast, the play never really takes flight. A couple of scenes between Watson and Wright have the basis of a more interesting, more thoughtful effort, but the rest of the time it relies on energy rather than subtlety.
lack of nuance and sympathy
There’s also a lack of nuance and sympathy in the way that scenes from Douglas are presented. The play may rarely be seen now, but it was a staple of the theatre for a century, and deserves better than an OTT parody of classical acting which could make almost anything look stupid.
There’s probably a good play to be written about the struggle of Scottish theatre to establish itself against Church disapproval, but this isn’t it.
Running time: One hour (No interval).
Traverse Theatre (Trav 2), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED.
Tuesday 6 – Saturday 10 October 2026.
Lunchtimes: 1pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Lemon Tree, Aberdeen.
Tuesday 13 – Saturday 17 October 2026.
Tue – Fri: 6pm, Thurs, Sat mat: 1pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Lewie Watson, Gavin Jon Wright, Kevin Lennon and Fraser Sivewright. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
ENDS
