Synopsis "Rantin (Oberon Modern Plays)"
A retired American steps off the plane at Prestwick, hoping to discover the land of his fathers. A beleaguered politician in Edinburgh dips her feet into a hot bath.An old drunk man in Peterhead has a mystical vision at the harbour. A supermarket checkout girl in Port Glasgow approaches work with a baseball bat.Part living-room gathering, part play, part gig session, Rantin draws on storytelling, live music and an unapologetically haphazard take on Scottish folk tradition, in an attempt to stitch together fragmented stories to reveal a botched patchwork of a nation."This gorgeous piece of ceilidh-theatre, where music swirls engagingly, is taut, nuanced and illuminating, and refuses to be bleak." - Herald"[Hurley is] setting out on an ambitious and tremendously worthwhile journey that seeks to link Scotland’s familiar past to its fast-changing present" - Scotsman"A kind of state-of-the-nation ceilidh… an encapsulation of a Scotland that stretches from the Stornoway ferry to a private dining room in Edinburgh, via Donald Trump's Menie Estate and a supermarket in Port Glasgow…. with a quietly radical energy of its own, Rantin echoes the sentiment of another Proclaimers song, Scotland's Story, with its all-embracing philosophy of a nation united in its diversity.” - Guardian"These stories, sometimes narrated, sometimes performed, are interspersed with music and songs which range from traditional Scottish ballads to a modern rock music which is truly global. The piece is delivered with the charming informality of a living room ceilidh and an engaging, often bleak humour.” - Telegraph
