REVIEW: Under Another Sky, a journey and an experience

Alfresco theatre is not a concept that we, in Scotland, are well acquainted with for obvious meteorogical reasons.

But Pitlochry Festival Theatre, with great ambition and total disregard of weather doom-mongers, has already sent us round the world with Phileas Fogg and shared the impending demise of the world (and a bottle of tomato sauce) in the company of Sherlock Holmes.

Perfect for outdoors

To complete this triptych, we are now travelling around Britain in a metaphorical “campervan” as Under Another Sky makes it’s world debut in the beautiful setting of the theatre’s amphitheatre.

All three productions are all the better for being outdoors — the natural scene-setting seems just right.

On this occasion, we share the journey with Charlotte and Matthew as they trace the routes Emperor Claudius and his Romans once trod their imperial acquisitions.

It’s a dramatisation of the acclaimed book by The Guardian’s chief culture writer Charlotte Higgins, and essentially it’s about how we relate to a past when the Romans held much of Britain as an imperial possession..

Renowned playwright David Greig’s adaptation, along with Elizabeth Newman’s direction, make this an absorbing 85 minutes worthy of a world premiere.

A travelogue, a love story, a history lesson

It is, at times, a travelogue, a love story, a history lesson — all with the Greig stamp of humour throughout.

Amelia Donkor and Keith Macpherson rise superbly to the task of enacting the road trip and the many characters on the way — all evolving in the imagination of the intrepid travellers in their symbolic camper van, complete with faultless sound effects (Ben Occhipinti) and incidental and original music from Laura Rossi.

Amelia Donkor also plays major roles in Private Lives and Little Women. Keith Macpherson is also In Sunshine on Leith and Noises Off. It’s a busy life for all the company in Pitlochry.

• Under Another Sky was originally commissioned by the Royal Lyceum Theatre and Edinburgh International Book Festival and continues at Pitlochry on various dates until September 24.