Dan is in his early eighties and started going to the Edinburgh Festival in 1947. He eventually stopped about five years ago. Coming from Kinlochleven down to Edinburgh eventually proved to be too much of a journey for his old bones. Tucked away on his bookshelf are all the programmes of all the shows he's seen, mostly classical music, opera, and a few plays.Several years ago, we went together to see The Tempest, a rather droll and dark production that involved the use of a spiral staircase in the middle of a bare stage. Most of the action took place around this prop with the main actor playing the part of Ferdinand, smitten by Miranda, a gossamer figure floating about the stage in a melodramatic fervour half the time. Old Dan's irascible nature got the better of him and he tutted, "It's not good at all."
Overhearing Dan's remark, a scrawny gent behind agreed with a chuckle, "No, not good. I've seen better." During the half-time break, we shuffled out of the hall, Dan with his faded kilt swishing through the crowds at the bar (I'd never seen him wearing trousers in the 20 odd years I'd known him) and out onto the street.
Last night, I went to see Miranda with Fulmaya, described as "a polylogue drama set in contemporary Goa". Miranda has become "a Bollywood wannabe" and the whole set alludes to The Tempest. I had no idea that this had anything to do with Shakespeare's play. The flyer had shown a figure with the picture of an Indian dancer's face held in front the actor's own face.
Actually, quite a consummate performance by the actor whose name I can't remember, but deviating from the original Shakeperean plot.
