Burke Returns!
West Port Productions resurrect Caroline Dunford’s Burke
Andrew Hainey as William Burke. Photo credit: Gary Daniell Photography
By Thom Dibdin
Burke, Caroline Dunford’s play based on the exploits of serial murderers Burke and Hare, returns to the Vaults on Merchant Street this week for a four-night run.
Previously staged by Siege Perilous and West Port Productions last November (review here), the production is directed by Stuart Nicoll and retains two of the original cast. Set in the death-cell of Calton Jail over the days before Burke’s execution in front of 25,000 people, it arrives in Edinburgh from a mini tour taking in, most suitably, Jedburgh Castle Jail and Inveraray Jail.
“Burke is a poignant haunting psychological drama which delves into the mind of notorious serial killer William Burke as he awaits his execution,” according to Tina Finch, co-producer on the original production. “This telling of the story will challenge the common perception about who the main protagonist was in the deadly partnership between William Burke and William Hare.”
Gregor Firth and Andrew Hainey reprise their roles William Hare and William Burke, with Adam Tomkins taking on the role of Captain Hugh Rose, the pair’s jailer, who becomes obsessed with understanding Burke’s motives as he awaits his death. Meanwhile, in a nearby cell, Hare is waiting to find out when he will be released after turning King’s evidence.
The lapses between the testimonies of both the killers – responsible for at least 16 deaths and the sale of 17 cadavers to the Dr Knox – is what gives the play its shape and form. Rose providing a conduit to the understanding of their real motives, beyond the financial.
Burke plays the Vault, Merchant Street (off Candlemaker Row), Edinburgh EH1 2QD, from Wednesday 26 to Saturday 29 October at 8pm. Run time is 55 minutes. Tickets priced £8 (£7 conc.) are available from http://www.wegottickets.com.
Westport Tours website: http://westporttours.com/
Review of the original production is here.
Preview of the original production is here.
ENDS
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