A Night by the River Tay

Pitlochry Festival Theatre

The new open-air amphitheatre affords a beautiful setting for any performance. Surrounded by ancient woodland with sweeping peaks through branches down to the river most shows can shine. Sadly, this compilation of previously commissioned audio plays during the beginning of the pandemic fails to impress.  

The actors bring their professionalism, skills, and enthusiasm to each solo extract, but thin writing gives them little to work with. Once commissioned it makes sense to bring them to the stage a year later, but it becomes evident that these short pieces were not strong enough to make it.  

The exception was ‘Beautiful Boy’ by Douglas Maxwell, performed with vigour by Pitlochry favourite Ali Watt. This is a terrific piece of writing which at first listen confused me. Was it mythical or autobiographical? The stage version became clear. It was both. The tale of a youngish man leaving behind a childhood of disappointment and inferred neglect to seek the bright lights of London. Returning to the hills and the river for his mother’s funeral the character confronts the reality of his childhood in a grim bungalow on the Tay and reignites his riverside and his modern obsession of being a hero to the girl he loved at school. Somehow the enchanted forest and the river gets in the way leading to a dramatic conclusion.  This was a standout performance bringing the first half to a close.  

To be honest the other extracts faded from memory compared to this. Alicia McKenzie struggled a little finding herself having to hold the stage on her own.  Colin McCredie and Jane McGarry brought their strong personalities to short, sweet, poetic, and tragic pieces and seemed wasted. Even their final comedy sketch, ‘This is not Schiehallion’, fizzled out despite their best efforts.  This type of comedy is best left to pantomime.  The audience were left wanting more. 

Production values were also rather sloppy. Pitlochry has a terrific costume department, but it appeared the actors were left to fend for themselves. The audience were left wondering if there was an interval, leaving the ushers to indicate.  Sound effects were often inaudible. There was no indication of access for disabled, and one wobbly portable loo with a dodgy door is really not good enough. Pitlochry was packed with tourists, who usually flock to the theatre for a top-drawer production. I regret to say they would be disappointed. This was a lacklustre experience in a stunning setting.