''I Am Thomas: A Brutal Comedy with Songs'' is a play based around the death of

Thomas Aikenhead Thomas Aikenhead ( bapt. 28 March 1676 – 8 January 1697) was a Scottish student from Edinburgh, who was prosecuted and executed at the age of 20 on a charge of blasphemy under the Act against Blasphemy 1661 and Act against Blasphemy 1695. ...

, the last person to be hanged for

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

in Britain. The play received its world premiere at the Liverpool Playhouse, in February 2016, before embarking on a short UK tour. It is a co-production between Told by an Idiot, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Lyceum Theatre.

Production history

''I Am Thomas: A Brutal Comedy with Songs'' is a

devised theatre Devised theatre – frequently called collective creation – is a method of theatre-making in which the script or (if it is a predominantly physical work) performance score originates from collaborative, often improvisatory work by a performing ens ...

play created by Told by an Idiot, based on the real-life story of

, a student from Edinburgh who was prosecuted and executed at the age of 20 on a charge of

. He was executed at Gallow Lee in Edinburgh in 1697 and was the last person in Britain to be executed for blasphemy. Told through the medium of song, the play is set in Edinburgh between 1696 and present day. On 14 April 2015, it was announced by The Royal Lyceum Theatre, that the play would form part of the 50th anniversary season of the Royal Lyceum Theatre company. It is a co-production between Told by an Idiot, the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Lyceum Theatre. ''I Am Thomas'' received its world premiere at the Liverpool Playhouse on 24 February 2016, following previews from 19 February, for a limited run until 27 February. The play is directed by Paul Hunter, Artistic Director of Told by an Idiot, with design by Laura Hopkins, lighting design by Paul Anderson, music by Iain Johnstone, lyrics by Simon Armitage and sound by Adrienne Quartly. Following its premiere production the play embarked on a short UK tour in March and April 2016, visiting The Lowry, Salford, Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Eden Court Theatre,

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

, and Wilton's Music Hall, London. The play features an ensemble cast of eight who take it in turn to play the title role. The cast includes John Cobb, Charlie Folorunsho, Amanda Hadingue, Myra McFadyen, Hannah McPake, John Pfumojena,

Dominic Marsh Dominic Marsh is an English theatre, television, and film actor. Career Marsh has performed at venues throughout the UK including the Oxford Playhouse and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. In 2011 he appeared in Kneehigh Theatre's adaptation of ...

and Iain Johnstone who wrote the plays score. A typical performance runs two hours, including one interval of 20 mins.

Critical reception

The play has received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

References

{{Reflist, colwidth=30em 2016 plays Plays based on actual events Plays set in Scotland