Review: BURNING BRIGHT, Oran Mor, Glasgow

Burning Bright by Áine King is the winner of A Play, A Pie and A Pint's David MacLennan Award which uncovers new writing talent and professionally produces the work of first-time and early-career writers. Directed by Roxana Haines, Burning Bright is the second play in the Spring 2023 season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Glasgow's Oran Mor.

Hannah Jarrett-Scott plays a character who chased their dreams with their partner. They quit their jobs, sold their flat and bought a boat with a view to giving tourists a close-up look at the Arctic. Now doing these trips alone, the dream has been impacted by climate change and passengers with extreme political views.

Suzanne Magowan is a news reporter who is in the midst of a report on wildfires and Adam Buksh is a school-aged character experiencing racism in a Scottish school after moving from India.

Burning Bright is about three different people experiencing climate change. While each story is interesting and the performers are all extremely engaging and a joy to watch, it feels like you're just getting into one character when the narrative switches again. The staging is cleverly designed by Gemma Pratchett and Jonny Scott and is a mish-mash of single-use plastic items.

There are a lot of powerful points being made and the script is witty and it definitely feels like each story could be expanded beyond the hour-long format of A Play, A Pie and A Pint.

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