Photo credit – Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Is not the theatre notable for its notoriety? It is, in fact, a nursery for Hell. And play actors are the most vomitous wretches.
So claims Reverend John Witherspoon (Gavin John Wright), in the impassioned – some might say theatrical – sermon that compels attention from the very outset of this play, as his fire-and-brimstone outrage escalates to a crescendo.
It’s 1756 – ten years after the Battle of Culloden. There are no licensed theatres in Scotland. Then the determined Reverend John Home (Lewie Watson) writes Douglas, a dramatic verse tragedy, and stages in Edinburgh. This play was hugely popular, but it didn’t go down well with the Scottish church authorities.
Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo, written and directed by Brian Logan, intersperses scenes from Home’s play with the story of its creation and the contemporary response.
Framed within an already heightened play, the actors have great fun with the scenes from Douglas. They strut and fret their hour upon the stage with relish and glee. The spectacle must have been quite something for the theatre-starved audience of the time. I liked hearing Scots spoken in iambic pentameter.
In between the excerpts from Douglas, the Scottish Enlightenment unfolds. Home is supported by his cousin, David Hume (Fraser Sievewright), and fellow-clergyman Alexander Carlyle (Kevin Lennon) as Scotland claims its place on the world stage. There is a compelling momentum to the play, and such a wonderful energy between the actors. The dialogue is bombastically eloquent and delivered trippingly on the tongue.
Home and Witherspoon come face-to-face as Home is brought before the Church leadership for what is effectively a trial. Both men make their case – is theatre inherently immoral, or can it be instructive, following the example of Jesus’s parables? I suspect that I know the playwright’s position on this, but Witherspoon is allowed to present his case with nuance – there are no straw men here. I was reminded that no character believes they are the villain of the piece. The trial feels like a microcosm of Scottish society, and of the wider culture wars that are as old as culture itself.
There’s a wonderful rapport between the actors and the audience. They play with the theatrical conventions of the time – breaking the fourth wall, and brazenly inserting exposition into conversations. Along with the historical costumes and horsehair wigs, this feels authentic and reminds us that modern theatre is part of an ancient lineage.
This was a thoroughly entertaining way to learn about Scotland’s past. The real men behind each of these characters had an immense influence on the modern world, but even the giants of history were frail human beings once.
Whaur’s Yer Wullie Shakespeare Noo? is at the Traverse Theatre until 10th October 2026. Tickets are available at https://www.traverse.co.uk/.
Reviewer: Wendy McEwan
Reviewed: 8th October 2026
Theatre Muse UK rating: *****
