Sunday, April 3, 2011

The Promise at 59E59

Scotland Week is once again upon us.  My first venture out this year was to see the Scottish play (not THAT Scottish play!) The Promise by Douglas Maxwell.  Lisa and Carri and I were guests of Scottish Development International and had a wonderful time as the event surrounding the New York premier of this play.

What a play. Wow. It is a one-woman show, but not really, it is a full play with one actor in it, a woman.  She is played brilliantly and untiringly by Joanna Tope.  Ms. Tope is one stage for 90 minutes of straight dialogue sans water.  They treat prisoners better than this!  How she did it is incredible. Well, I guess that is why they call her a professional actress.  There is no place for her to hide should she forget a piece of the rapid-fire dialogue. There is no break, no quick walk off stage. She is with the audience without a net and with an amazing story to tell which I will not ruin here.

Me with actress Joanna Tope at after party.

There was an reception afterwards. Lisa, Carri and I love receptions.  They had Scottish whiskey, wine (not Scottish I do not think) and Scottish canapes. Scottish canapes?!  WTF?  Well, there were wee meat pies, Haggis with a turnip coulis on a bed of oats, Cock-a-Leekie soup in wee cups, and fish and chips on a poke.  It was delightful a few pies I might add, but they were small.

We got to talk to Joanna Tope and she was so delightful. I found out the play originated at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow where I worked in the 1980's and I got to tell her so. She has performed this play in London, Glasgow and Edinburgh and now in New York.

Go see it through April 17th at 59 East 59th Street Theatre.

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