Robert Burns
By Joe Corrie
- Price:
- £2.00
Item attributes
- ISBN:
- 978-0-85174-342-4
- Acts:
- 4
- Females:
- 7
- Males:
- 9
Item details
Scottish Play: No. 37
From Wikipedia, Joe Corrie (13 May 1894 – 13 November 1968) was a Scottish miner, poet and playwright best known for his radical, working-class plays.
He was born in Slamannan, Stirlingshire in 1894. His family moved to Cardenden in the Fife coalfield when Corrie was still an infant and he started work at the pits in 1908. He died in Edinburgh in 1968.
Shortly after the First World War, Corrie started writing. His articles, sketches, short stories and poems were published in prominent socialist newspapers and journals, including Forward and The Miner.
Corrie's volumes of poetry include The Image O' God and Other Poems (1927), Rebel Poems (1932) and Scottish Pride and Other Poems (1955). T. S. Eliot wrote "Not since Burns has the voice of Scotland spoken with such authentic lyric note". He turned to writing plays during the General Strike in 1926.
More information can be found on his Wikipedia page; Joe Corrie.
In the village of Mauchline, in Ayrshire, Scotland's poet, Robert Burns, rose from obscurity to nationwide fame.
His stay in this locality was the most interesting part of his life, and Mr. Corrie has wisely kept to this period in his play. Who has not heard of such characters as Daddy Auld, Holy Willie, Mary Campbell, Jean Armour, Nance Tinnock and Gavin Hamilton? They come to life again most vividly. Burns's fight with the kirk session; his fearless encounter with the minister, his tribulations at the hands of Jean Armour's father; his tender love affair with Mary Campbell, his parting with her, and the news of her death coming to him in his bitterest moments make poignant drama.
In the character of Burns there is everything that an actor can desire. Although the poet dominates the play there is scope in plenty for the other characters. Humour and tragedy are well balanced. A play well worth doing, and one that will appeal to any audience.
