Scottish actor David Hayman has taken on a number of challenging roles in his career, but his latest, in a moving play about the last ever person hanged in Scotland, is perhaps one of the most chilling.
Please Mister, which tells the story of the last days of Anthony Miller, who was hanged at Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow in 1960 after being found guilty of murder, is a truly moving and thought-provoking piece of theatre.
Hayman, who stars as Miller’s alter ego, a sinister clown named Bunce, explained a bit more about the story behind the play:“It (the execution) was in Barlinnie Prison and it took place in 1960, and in may ways was a miscarriage of justice. It’s a very powerful, brilliantly written play by Pat (Patrick) Harkins and we’re having a great time doing it," he said.
“Ian (De Caestecker) plays the young man who is the condemned cell and I’m his alter ego who is this mad, kind of evil clown, and I’m his only form of company. And I accompany him right up to the very last moment.”
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The actor, who recently starred in STV’s Sherlock Holmes series, as well as Made in Scotland, added: “It’s a bit of absurd theatre. It’s wonderfully surreal and it’s great, it just makes it truly theatrical. You couldn’t do this on film, you couldn’t do it on television, it just wouldn’t work, it’s a very special piece of theatre. I think the idea is you’ve got this young man who’s in the condemned cell on his last days and this mad clown, it’s a wonderful juxtaposition of images.
De Caestecker, perhaps best known so far for his roles in Coronation Street and River City, is relishing playing the challenging role of the teen who was convicted of murdering a gay man during a botched robbery.
He plays a quiet, soul-searching part, portraying the image of a young man who has to come to terms with the reality of being sentenced to execution, and working alongside Hayman, the pair try to capture what must have been going through Miller’s mind in those final days.
“Pat knew a few people who were involved in the case with Tony (Anthony) Miller and apparently during it he didn’t say a word, he was very quiet and internal, so the only way to create a play about it is to create a character like Bunce, that David plays,” he explained.
Please, Mister is running as part of Oran Mor’s A Play, a Pie and a Pint series, until May 15.
