Autumn 2024 Tour
El Duglas
THE PLAY
Back in the late nineties, John decided he would like to tell the story of Sir James Douglas - the ‘Good Sir James’ to the Scots, and the ‘Black Douglas’ to those south of the border. The play was, however, written, put aside, rewritten, put aside again, many times over the years.
John recalls, ‘it was a two-hander, a solo show, a show with music, a show without music….etc. The momentum waned and the scripts gathered dust - that is, until our tour of Wandering Willie’s Tale in 2023. Iain Fraser’s ingenious musical interpretation for Wandering Willie’s Tale gave atmosphere, depth and authenticity to the performance, and I knew that music would be the catalyst for completing the development of the Douglas show.
Taking a fresh look at the previous scripts, the character of Robert the Bruce featured highly, and having such a prominent role in Douglas’ story, I thought, who better to lead us through the tale of Sir James Douglas than the Bruce himself? Both Iain and Alistair (my fellow HotTrodders) declared themselves enthusiastic about the idea and so the final adaptation of El Duglas quickly evolved’.
Why El Duglas? Every year, in the Andalucian town of Teba, an event is held in honour of the heroic deeds of Sir James Douglas who fought and died there in the Battle of Teba in 1330 whilst en route to the Holy Land with the embalmed heart of his friend, Robert the Bruce. Sir James was Bruce’s ablest lieutenant and the most professional soldier of his day, whose menacing resourcefulness and outright genius undoubtedly led to victory in the Scottish Wars of Independence.
The show begins with Juan coming in from the Andalucian sunshine to take a break from his role as Sir James Douglas, just after a parade through the streets of Teba during the Douglas Day celebrations. Removing his surcoat, Juan becomes the Bruce, who then takes up the story…..
En mil trescientos treinta de camino tierra santa (In 1330, on his way the Holy Land)
Duglas lucho por el Rey Alfonso (El Duglas fought for King Alfonso) Pero cayo en batalla por Dios y el Rey (But fell in battle for God and King)
Abatido por los Sarracenos (Killed by the Saracen).