How to Achieve Redemption as a Scot through the Medium of Braveheart @ Underbelly

Rachael Clerke recounts the history of her Scottishness in How to Achieve Redemption as a Scot through the Medium of Braveheart, while assiduously avoiding talk about Scotland’s political future. The show possesses a charm and originality which is not limited to Clerke’s awkward fumbling with Alex Salmond’s trousers, but ultimately fails to transcend the boundaries of a haphazardly told ego doc.

Clerke is wonderfully unafraid to look ridiculous, and Great Scottish costume changes involving a fake fat belly and fantastic eyebrows are an integral part of the show. Unfortunately, its unfinished aesthetic and sloppy transitions between video, Powerpoint and performance become problematic since the piece lacks the theoretical backbone that would render them unimportant. While Clerke invites the audience on her quest for redemption (seemingly concerning her affection for the 1995 blockbuster Braveheart) she fails to make it of interest to that audience. As a result, the show’s characteristics come across as an excuse for what feels like an insufficiently considered piece.

National identity is a messy affair wherever you happen to be from, and while How to Achieve Redemption has moments of insight and wit, it does not do a whole lot more than confirming just that.