verecunda

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Well, if I'm going to start earning my keep over here on DW, I've already linked to this over on Tumblr, but I thought I'd share this here too. I found both parts of the 2016 radio drama of Kidnapped on Youtube, including a short introduction by David Tennant.

Part 1:

Watch on YouTube

Part 2:

Watch on YouTube

It stars Owen Whitelaw as David and Michael Nardone as Alan, and they are adorable. There's so much affection in their performances. Their wee Jacobite/Whig counterpoint duet towards the end is the sweetest thing ever. And there is so! much! emphasis! on their height difference. 💕

The supporting cast is also great, featuring David Hayman as Uncle Ebenezer and ~~Troy the Gardener~~ Gavin Mitchell as Mr Riach.

It's really, really nice, and well worth the listen. :)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

thrillingdetectivetales

Oh this looks so fun! I love radio dramas and it'll be really neat to experience Kidnapped in yet another medium lol. Thanks for the rec!

From:

verecunda

It's a really nice adaptation! I wish they'd spent just a wee bit more time with Ebenzer at the beginning - mostly because David Hayman is one of those actors who could pull off the comedy as well as the creepy uncle part - but Alan and Davie's relationship is front and centre, and they do it really well. <3

From:

thrillingdetectivetales

I gave it a listen last night/today and I have to say it was pretty fun! I'll definitely be giving it another listen at some point.

Overall my only real complaint is that I wish it were twice as long and that they spent a little more time on some parts they gloss over (understandably, given the constraints of the medium/time available, but still). I agree that they really laser focus on Davie and Alan's relationship, which makes sense, but they sweep through the stuff with Ebenezer and with James of the Glens and a couple of other parts I could've stood to hear fleshed out a little more.

I did really like Davie and Cluny, and the argument that Davie and Alan have on the heather absolutely wrecked me. (He starts crying at Alan! HOW IS MY HEART SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT!?)

All the actors are excellent, and there's something about hearing Davie and Alan together in this iteration that makes me want to squee like in the days of ye olde fandomme.

A+ recommendation for sure~

From:

verecunda

Yay, I'm glad you liked it! :D Yeah, I would've liked a bit more time spent at Shaws in the beginning, and maybe with the characters on the Covenant, as well as Corrynakiegh - okay, not a lot of plot stuff happens, but that's the bit with ONLY ONE COAT. On the other hand, I thought they did Mr Rankeillor and the girl at Limekilns especially well.

And I can only approve of them zeroing in on Alan and Davie's relationship, especially since so many screen adaptations decide to turn all the focus on Alan and turn Davie into a glorified NPC. But this one gets it, that the heart of the story is the two of them. (And waugh YES, Davie just all-out sobbing during the quarrel wrings my heart every time. ;___; They did that bit GOOD.)

From:

regshoe

Yay, thank you for sharing this here! I really must re-listen to it once my brain is no longer completely about the play.

That counterpoint duet is so adorable, and—given the way virtually all other adaptations, illustrations for the book, etc. just totally ignore Alan's canonical shortness—I am very pleased with all the emphasis on the height difference here. :D

From:

verecunda

Yes, I'm really glad that we've got an adaptation here that's like "Alan is a tiny person! we can't stress this enough, he's the smollest smol!" Now all we need is one that actually gives him his pockmarks and freckles too. There's not much point in calling him Alan Breck if we're missing the Breck!

From:

regshoe

The graphic novel does give him the pockmarks, although it's not a terribly good adaptation otherwise. But I totally agree it ought to be more generally included—it's kind of ridiculous how utterly verboten a) a man being short and b) bad skin seem to be across visual depictions of Alan (especially when, as you say, it's right there in the name)!