The Plot review – exploding myths in an hour of gunpowder and treason

Summerhall, EdinburghSet in purgatory, Emma Howlett’s two-hander rethinks the national intrigue with 5 NovemberNever play with matches is good advice – especially when gunpowder is involved. That the historical figures of Thomas and Robert Wintour begin this two-hander testing each other’s capacity to endure a naked flame suggests they have a high tolerance for risk. It is not clear if there are still explosives lying around, but they should know better.Not that it matters any more. These two Catholic brothers have sussed they must be in purgatory, their plot to blow up parliament having been foiled. Their accounts of what happened next are fuzzy, but they both remember being sentenced to death. They are not happy about their fate, but feel even more sympathy for the mercenary stooge known as Guy Fawkes, who has had to carry the can.At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 31 AugustAll our Edinburgh festival reviews Continue reading...