ED2011 3/5 Reviews ED2011 Theatre Reviews

Mary Blandy’s Gallows Tree (Lita Doolan)

By | Published on Wednesday 10 August 2011

Sitting with someone minutes from the noose isn’t everybody’s idea of post-breakfast entertainment; however, this one woman show is convincing and thought-provoking. Fragmented and confusing at times, Doolan movingly portrays a woman suffering from breakdown after a year of solitude as she faces hanging for a crime she was tricked into committing. Don’t believe it to be simply an issue of innocence: this is a snapshot of death row in 1752 England which, with talks of capital punishment being voted for debate by the Houses of Parliament this week, certainly bears significance in 2011. “This is a hell!” cries Doolan desperately, looking around her cell. Guilty or not, the audience is left wondering: is imprisonment punishment enough?

Sweet Grassmarket, 4 – 21 Aug, 11:00am, £5.00 – £7.00, fpp279.
tw rating 3/5
[dg]



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