The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil review – buoyant revival of a Scottish classic

Eden Court, InvernessJohn McGrath’s 1973 play uses ceilidhs and hoedowns to tell the shocking tale of the exploitation of Scotland’s natural resourcesJohn McGrath’s 1973 play is a legend in Scottish theatre. It both shocked people into a new awareness of the brutal exploitation of the country’s natural resources and provided a pattern for future national touring. But, for all its iconic status, it is not that often seen, so it seems right that the National Theatre of Scotland – in association with Dundee Rep and Live Theatre, Newcastle – has revived and updated Joe Douglas’s vigorous 2015 production. I got the sense that many in the Inverness audience, like myself, were seeing the play for the first time.The story it tells, especially in the first half, is truly horrifying. It reminds us of the ruthlessness of the Highland Clearances, which took place roughly from 1750 to 1860, and which showed much of the land depopulated to maximise profits from the sheep trade: women, more than men, provided active resistance but, as houses were burned and heads split open, they could do little against the force of the Duke of Sutherland’s factor, Patrick Sellar. McGrath’s continuing theme is the power of capitalism, and he goes on to show how the Highlands were turned into a popular hunting ground for the Victorian ruling class and how the Scottish people never reaped the benefits of the oil boom that started in 1962. Continue reading…
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