Edinburgh Festival 97: Theatre: The Hanging Tree
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference."Wayne was what he was paid to be - a legend - and that's good enough for me," says John, an ex-copper whose drab existence on an imploding housing estate in the west of Scotland is spiced up by watching TV westerns, dressing up like his cowboy heroes for line-dancing sessions - and partaking in a spot of vigilantism.
Though it has an interesting conceit - summoning up the spirit of the Wild West in a modern-day urban ghetto - Nicola McCartney's play for LookOut Theatre never allows these two world to collide in any particularly insightful way in its law-enforcing central character. John heads towards a gun-toting showdown with the drug dealer he holds responsible for the death of his son, but this seems to have more to do with giving the bloated plot a crack of the whip than exploring the rugged individualism so sentimentalised on screen. The flaws in his character (the domestic violence, adultery) feel more like inconsistencies than thought-provoking ambiguities.
The action may keep you watching, but it kicks up too much dust, obscuring glimpses of a community whose environment is so neglected that survival requires daily acts of true grit.
Traverse (Venue 15). To 30 Aug (0131-228 1404)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments