Keepin' The Heid – A Play, A Pie, And A Pint

Dominic Corr

Jun 30

Written by Rachel Flynn

Directed by Ryan Dewar

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Sisterhood centuries in the making, closing this season's A Play, A Pie, and A Pint, Rachel Flynn's Keepin' The Heid is as equally a tale for the audiences today as it is a historical comedic-drama which hurls us back in time, to one of the nation's most infamous executions.

A year to the day since tragedy struck Beth's world, wandering the outskirts of one of the many historical sites of Mary Stewart, Queen of the Scots, Beth finds it difficult not to struggle with the exaggerated reverence of Scotland's former monarch. Contorting the familiar fable of Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty, Beth pricks her finger on the spines of a Thistle, and instead of slumber, finds herself in the final holding cell of Mary on the eve of her execution. But she's not here to save Mary, nor alter history. So just what on earth is she here for?

What follows is a swirling amalgam of heart, history, and a hearty dose of humour courtesy of Sally Reid and Fiona Wood. And while one may expect the familiar time-traveller japes and gags to emerge, even when they do, they're handled with a far richer degree of conviction, largely thanks to the pair's performances and Ryan Dewar's swift direction in leaning hard into these aspects, embracing the hardy humour.

There's a common tongue the women share – though it may not be the Scots language audiences suspect it to be. It's a language of trauma; kinship stemmed from abuse, desperation, and the trials of a life which dealt a heavy hand. Layers of Flynn's writing offer a reason for Beth's involvement in Mary's life – and even a reflection of the perverse obsession we have for her, other women throughout history, and our obscene patriotic obsession with monarchy, wealth, and servitude. It leads to some exceptionally proud, unambiguous, and bombastically charged statements – clear in intention and implementation.

While Mary may live in the past (literally), Beth is from a world in which apathy is the vice most are guilty of: a generation of people crying out for notice and justice without a fire or cause to rally behind. The performance grows with the show, initially swept up in Reid's more assured and familiar character, Fiona Wood finds firm footing as the show progresses, channelling the philosopher in Beth and enabling her to naturally find themselves, rather than being pushed by the narrative.

Eventually erupting in a layered and poignant exploration of a more maternal bond, surrogate maternity in the way, the pair care and aid one another. Flynn's writing hinges on the success of the character and their connection, and with Dewar's direction, it all comes together rather superbly. And if anything, Keepin' The Heid has the potential to be a seventy to eighty-minute one-act production to take advantage of the characters and ideas it poses. Standing as a Play, Pie, and Pint piece, it isn't as tightly paced as it could be. Then again, if it takes a sledgehammer approach to finally learn the lessons we've failed to, so be it.

The idea of Mary, Queen of Scots is the subject of countless media interpretations. From award-nominated films to bewildering televised serials, and countless romantic-historical-fictions. But from the off-set, Sally Reid has the measure of this spin on Mary.

With an East Coast gallus nature, this foul-mouthed yet straight-talking version switches from a petted, court-expected lip to a more familiar twang, devouring the part and stretching it to every limit possible – both in physical performance and emotional communication. All the while there's a beautifully vulnerable state of honesty drawn out beneath the laughter, drawing their performance directly into a beautiful comparison with Wood.

The backlight of Ross Nurney's lighting against Gemma Patchett and Jonny Scott's design provides gravitas to Mary's arrival and the more supernatural elements, but it is Mary's finale where it comes into play most effectively. We all know the fate of the Queen, and the shifting, tightened lighting does little to persuade us that Mary has met any other form of fate than the one history had ordained.

Two women, one with their life ahead of them, the other with the darkness looming: one wants to die, the other wants to live – and it's not the way round it should be. Uplifting, Keepin' The Heid is a breed of a show which draws in eager audiences with relish and serves up everything they expected and much more. It's a shared experience for all in the room, a marvellously mischievous and earnest fusion of Scots history, with a splash of fairytale sorcery lift this comedic tale into realms of epigrammatic and ferociously attachable.

Sisterhood Centuries In The Making

Keepin' The Heid runs at Òran Mór until July 1st. Monday - Saturday at 13.00pm.
Running time - 60 minutes
Tickets may be obtained here.
Keepin' The Heid opens at Mull Theatre from July 3rd