The Rhum Plants describes the story of Professor John Heslop-Harrison, purveyor of ‘botanical fraud’ in post-war Britain. It’s fast-paced multirole, irreverent comedy and hyper-verbosity of scientific and Latinate vocabulary, serve to illustrate the intense interiority of this tight-knit, peer-reviewed research field. The text is at times difficult to follow for the uninitiated, but it is interesting to see how even the seemingly most niche of scientific scandals can be dramatised for a general public. The passion exhibited by both the characters and performers in their discussion of Heslop-Harrison’s fraudulent ‘discoveries’ offer an insight into the historically fraught margins of research within many scientific fields. (HM)
THE RHUM PLANTS, Mangonel Theatre, 25th, 27-30h August, Sweet Grassmarket. Wheelchair Access, Level Access, Wheelchair accessible toilets.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/rhum-plants
Recent case of fraud, in HIV science