EDINBURGH 2014 - BWW Reviews: THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT, Summerhall, August 1 2014

The Scottish Enlightenment Project, playing for only three nights at Summerhall, is a performance of a work in progress created by the National Theatre of Scotland and Brooklyn-based the TEAM. A meditation on Scottish national identity, particularly in contrast with that of America, it is centred around the story of two old friends from Glasgow, one recently returned from London and one still living with his mother, who reunite and head out on a road trip with an American woman they meet in a bar. Their story is interwoven with scenes demonstrating the influence on their ideas of national identity by the main thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment, particularly James Macpherson (of Ossian fame), Adam Smith and Walter Scott.

As a work in progress, it is not a fully mounted production and the performers spend some of the evening with script binders in hand, however this never really gets in the way of audience enjoyment. There are some fantastic lines that have viewers guffawing through much of the show, such as finding the Scottish equivalents for American cliches, or the pursuit of a tale of a Scottish hero that doesn't end in death, alcoholism or exile ("The best ones have all three!"). Supporting this are three strong performances from Jessica Almasy, Brian Ferguson and Alexander Grierson; Grierson in particular adds to the neat, well-observed comedy as he switches between characters including a Scottish drunk living in an English train station and the effete James Macpherson.

Even in its unfinished form, it is a highly enjoyable evening of theatre. The issue I did have with it was that it focused perhaps a bit too much on the fatalism many see as a huge part of Scottish national identity. The opening, while humorous, kicked the show off with negative cliches of drunk, miserable blokes, and as the show developed, one character is portrayed as seeing Scottishness as a near-inescapable burden. While much of it, such as the tall poppy syndrome of cutting successful people down if they get above themselves, was valid criticism, it nevertheless seemed a little opposed to the zeitgeist at a time when Scotland is gaining in self-confidence. This criticism not withstanding, if you are not able to catch it at Summerhall this week, it is still well worth getting a ticket when the full production launches in 2016.

The Scottish Enlightenment Project runs at Summerhall until August 3rd at 9.30pm. A post-show discussion follows performances.