Actors inspired by a visit to the Stevenson statue
The National Theatre of Scotland is presenting Kidnapped in a new production with Ryan J Mackay and Malcolm Cumming as Davie Balfour and Alan Breck Stewart at the Royal Lyceum Theatre.
To inspire themselves the two main characters visited Sandy Stoddart’s sculpture of the pair which is situated at Western Corner in Murrayfield.
The tale is presented as a swash-buckling rom-com adventure which is based on the novel, Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson and which includes Edinburgh on its UK tour between 28 March and 13 May 2023.
Stevenson was born in Edinburgh and attended the University of Edinburgh. The novel bears many references to local places. And in return many streets in Drumbrae and Clermiston take their names from the novel, with Rannoch Road, Duror Drive and Morven Street references to real places the pair visit in Kidnapped.
Kidnapped has been reimagined by Isobel McArthur with Michael John McCarthy, who previously teamed up for the Olivier award-winning Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), in a colourful new take on the classic historical novella and is packed full of 20th century pop music and 18th century romance, all performed by a dynamic ensemble of actor-musicians.
This vibrant production is a coming-of-age romcom for today, which celebrates the poetry, humour, and heart of Stevenson’s writing. Edinburgh audiences can see Kidnapped when it visits the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh from the 11 to 22 April 2023
