I have seen performance artist Rachael Clerke before. The last time I saw her she was being an embittered volcano on stage, this time she was still on stage but this time as a confused Scot who formerly identified as a world citizen, at the Underbelly, Cowgate.
'How to Achieve Redemption as a Scot Through the Medium of Braveheart' is not a show so much as a journey. A journey through the medium of powerpoint presentation, quick costume changes and the Mel Gibson movie 'Braveheart'. With a brief examination of the Scottishness of Donald Trump and and Alex Salmond.
For someone so young Rachael is an incredibly confident and self assured performer. Her material is intelligent and her delivery perfection, no drunk heckler (and there was a drunk heckler at the performance I attended – the kind I assume doesn't attend many shows and as a result has little concept of the classic 'twist in the tale' technique) can fluster her or keep her from her journey.
Rachael is confused about being Scottish and what it means on the eve of the Scottish Independence referendum.
Having lost her sense of Scottishness around the age of 14 Rachael has lived in the south of England and in Turkey. When asked about her roots she said she was British. But a new found sense of Scottishness has got her thinking about what Scottishness is, and what better way to investigate this than by emulating an American developer (Trump) and an Australian Hollywood actor (Gibson)?
This is that rare show that ticks many of the Edinburgh Fringe boxes, it's funny, interesting, new and has a hint of wackiness without seeming desperate.
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