The Stamping Ground is a new musical featuring the songs of Runrig and described by writer Morna Young as “a story of love, life and the land.” Annie and Euan return to their home, the village of Glenbeag, which they left at 16 when they were expecting their daughter Fiona. They return as an attempt to provide their daughter with the freedom of the Highlands after she was horribly bullied at her school in London.
This home-coming proves much more complicated for Euan than for his wife and daughter who blossom in Glenbeag. Annie is reminded of the talented and self-determining teenager she was before she became a dutiful wife and mother, and Fiona meets Summer, a brilliant young woman who introduces Fiona to the joy to be found in independence, community, and closeness with nature, The standout performers were Jenny Hulse as Annie, Naomi Stirrat as Summer, Annie Grace as Mary, and Juliet Cadzow as Maggie. Jenny Hulse in particular, in terms of character, performance, and vocals, was completely enchanting.
According to set and costume designer Kenneth MacLeod the central piece of scenery, a large circular ruin, the crag, which towers over the stage “takes direct inspiration from natural landmarks on Skye, like The Cuillin or The Storr, whose shapes and textures are equal parts epic, wild and magical.” The crag visually represents and puts into perspective the overwhelming presence of land in all the characters’ stories and concerns around family and community. Annie, Ewan, Fiona, Summer, and Johnny are concerned with how a community is defined and how one can become a member of it. Each of these characters display the play’s moral, that to be a member of a community you need to work for it and live with it, not on it.
The two most memorable costumes are Annie and Summer’s ensembles at the Harvest Festival which perfectly express the musical’s inspiration; the balance of wild, almost Pagan magic with ancient groundedness found in the Gaelic language, Runrig’s music, and the land of Glenbeag.
Though the acting, music, sets, and costumes were mostly impressive, the plot left something to be desired. The plot’s high investment in Annie and Ewan’s marriage, and specifically Ewan’s emotional turmoil, doesn’t pay off because the audience has not been given the opportunity to relate to or empathize with him. The Stamping Ground overestimates this relationship between the audience and Ewan and therefore a lot of the plot is surplus.
The Festival Theatre, May 23rd – Ma7 27th
Images by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan provided via Press Release