Miriam Trujillo
A cozy church (barely changed from the times of hoop-skirts and horse-carts), rows and rows of glowing candles, a cup of tea and biscuits…all these details set the scene for Burns Night Hootennany!, a celebration of Robert Burns and Scottish culture. ‘Hootennany’ is a Highland Scots term for a party. That night’s party was swinging with music, poetry, and a proper 19th century Victorian/Romantic feel.
The 19th century-esque aura of the event greeted guests before they even made it through the door.: As audience members walked towards the church, the sounds of fiddle music, pouring out of the door, pulled them in. Guests were greeted by the kilted fiddler, and another kilted performer who offered everyone a sweet. Before the show began, there was tea, cocoa, and biscuits.
Then, as the audience sat and munched on biscuits, Matthew Shiel, the pianist of the hour, walked up the aisle holding a lantern. Storyteller, Alastair Sim ascended to the pulpit, ready to read the great words of Burns, and the Hootennany began.
What followed was a wonderful medley of piano pieces, Burns poetry, and stories about the great man himself. Shiel played arrangements of Burns songs, or pieces that inspired Burns (included some Beethoven), while Sim lead us through the stories behind these pieces, stopping here and there to plunge us all into selections of the poet’s lyric and epic verse. He gave us a well rounded perspective of Burns: his political background, his Romantic love of nature, and his championship of Scots culture.
The absolute highlight of the night was when Sim declaimed Burns’ epic poem “Tam o’ Shanter”: all about witches, demons, and a haunted, hectic horse ride. Sim would read several stanzas and then pause while Shiel punctuated the performance from selections from a “Tam o’ Shanter” musical arrangement, making for a ripping good yarn.
Sim and Shiel both are masters of their crafts. Sim declaimed the poetry beautifully, injecting the words with a rich Scottish accent fitting for the great Scottish wordsmith. Shiel is a gifted musician, showing especial regard for dynamics and musical structure. He lead the audience through the three-part Sonata form of the piano pieces with great clarity, showcasing the fascinating structure of the classical selections.
The performance ended on an upbeat note: the audience rose and Shiel lead us all through a rousing chorus of “Auld Lang Syne”. Then, in keeping with the fun, weird nature of the Fringe, Shiel pulled out a tiny toy piano and -perfectly- played popular tunes by Mozard and Brahms on it. When the show was over I missed it already: it had created such a happy, homey aura that I would have loved to linger in for a lot longer.
The atmosphere the performers curated was what really made Burns Night Hootennany! so special. The welcome at the door, the cakes, the candles, the group song at the end, all helped take the music and poetry off the stage and integrate it into a more living-room like environment, similar to how the art would have been performed back in its day.
The art was regarded with reverence, but also with enthusiasm and good humour: the kind that keeps art alive for centuries on end. Burns Night Hootennany! really demonstrated the Scottish love for Burns and all he did for the country’s culture. It also demonstrated how this poet and his art is still a living and breathing thing: to be sung and celebrated in the dim glow of candlelight.
Recommended Drink: Whisky. Obviously.
Performances of Burns Night Hootennany! have now concluded at EdFringe 2024.
Phoebe Bakker
Jake Mace
