The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
The Ghosting of Rabbie Burns
Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, February 1
There won’t be any shortage of events going on around Burns Night to celebrate the birth of Scotland’s national poet more than 250 years ago, yet in this touring show by Irish playwright Gillian Duffy, his life is celebrated in a more contemporary fashion.
The Ghosting of Rabbie Burns tells of a present-day writer named Emily Winters, who takes herself off to a cottage in Ayrshire to forget her cheating ex, and is visited by the ghost of Robert Burns.
With elements of his song and poetry sprinkled throughout the piece, Burns acts as a kind of mentor to Emily, reflecting upon the subject of romance through the prism of his own work.
The project came from the desire of Duffy and her friend, the actor and singer Alyson Orr – who plays Emily – to work together, and from Orr’s suggestion that perhaps they do something on the subject of Burns.
“We work well together,” says Duffy.
“When she asked me to do this, I was very interested, because at university I studied English Literature and History. As a writer I’ve always been interested in historical characters, so for me Burns was a fantastic person to focus upon.
“Of course, there’s been a lot of work done already on his life as a poet and as a writer,” she continues, “but for me, I was always interested in his personal life; his relationships, his children, his family life. I wanted to make it interesting for me by hopefully doing something new, so I decided to work on his love life, his romances – there were a few of them.”
Duffy also took inspiration from the gothic genre, citing Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights as two of her favourite novels, although the kick which shifted things into life was a more contemporary reference.
Discovering the term “ghosting” – when two people are dating online and one calls it off by simply disappearing – in an article, she created the character of Emily and her own relationship troubles.
“When Burns appears, initially he tries to woo and seduce her,” says Duffy, “but as the play goes on we realise they’ve both been heartbroken, they’ve both been scarred by love.
“It becomes a piece where they’re teaching each other about love, and we realise that love hasn’t changed much in 200 years, even if how we find it is different.”
Directed by Duffy in its first incarnation last year and by Jimmy Chisholm this time out, the play is a twohander between John Kielty (as Burns) and Orr, who also serves as musical director.
The with Burns classics here include My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose, Ae Fond Kiss and Auld Lang Syne.
Following its date at the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline, The Ghosting of Rabbie Burns can also be seen at Dundee Rep Theatre on February 4, Webster Memorial Theatre in Arbroath on February 16 and Strathearn Arts in Crieff on February 21.