Kilts + Shakespeare

They’re related to language, I swear.

Photos: Signed Macbeth program, Outlander sites Midhope Castle, Culloden Battlefield, Clava Cairns.

Sam Heughan, the Outlander guy—you know, kilts, swords, stones, the works—he was that famous actor I saw in the flesh. His first post-Outlander gig was starring in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, in Shakespeare’s birthplace, standing just feet away from me in the cozy theater.  After the show he looked me in the eyes (IN MY OWN TWO EYES), smiled at me (at ME), said, “Thank you for coming,” with a smile, and signed my program. Cue tachycardia from yours truly. I could have been set for life at that point. But no, there’s more.

Lauren Lyle, his costar from Outlander season 3 onward, recently starred in a contemporary play called Most Favoured in London’s West End, at a similarly intimate venue. She crushed it. The performance and the play itself were so good I forgot my elbow was broken. I exited the theater in high spirits. How supremely lucky was I to see famous actors perform right in front of me, actors whose talent I’ve admired with vigor from my couch for 7.5 seasons?

Oh, but we’re still not done. After Most Favoured, I waited in the theater’s bar while my friend went to the bathroom. I stood off to the side and looked around, thinking about the play, our dinner reservation, and trying not to think about my elbow. My eyes landed on a face that looked familiar, its owner ordering drinks at the bar. Could it be?

 She’s so tall, she’s wearing a hat, her hair’s a different color…but then her mouth opened and I heard her Irish lilt and it was her, whose face I’d seen on my TV screen every night for months: Caitríona Balfe, the lead star of Outlander, come to support her former costar on a random Monday night in January. Breathtaking. I figured she was probably sick of having her life interrupted by eager fans (read: obnoxious Americans with no sense of personal dignity). I left her alone while simultaneously hyperventilating.

As a fan, it truly does not get better than this. Who gets to just casually see their favorite actors from their favorite show exercising their craft? Lucky people, that’s who. These encounters were more than just fangirl moments for me, though; they represent a shift in my feelings toward the UK, my host country.

I’ve been in the UK for 6.75 years, many of which were difficult and frustrating due to nationwide issues like Brexit, the rocky job market, and the under-resourced public health system. I easily fell into the trap of letting daily life get me down, not experiencing or appreciating the positive things about life on this funny island. The UK is ripe with opportunities to expand your mind if you let it, but it took watching Outlander to realize how possible this was for me. The UK’s history, natural beauty, and cultural tradition all play huge roles in the show, and through the eyes of the characters, I was finally able to fall in love with these things.

I was not really expecting to end up diving headfirst into the UK’s vibrant, long-established theater scene but now that I’m in it, I can’t believe I didn’t do it earlier. I only live an hour and a half from Shakespeare’s birthplace, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), and from London’s West End, aka British Broadway. Such great potential!

As a linguist and an anglophile, being a Shakespeare fan is non-negotiable. He has contributed more to the English language than any other writer, introducing phrases like “break the ice” and “it’s Greek to me”, which have become commonplace. His work also paved the way for new perspectives on plot, character development, and narrative structures in literature, influencing novelists, playwrights, poets, musicians, and artists for generations and taking anglophone culture into the modern day.

Many well-known contemporary British actors work with the RSC well into their careers, which is how I ended up 5 feet away from my dude Sam Heughan. Sir Ian McKellan, modern king of Shakespeare/leader of hobbits, was on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert just recently to discuss his career and his love for the theater that still endures even at 86 years old. He performed an incredible Shakespeare monologue written over 400 years ago that is shockingly relevant to today’s immigration crisis. That’s how human Shakespeare’s work is. Wild.

And I get to just hop on the train or get in the car and see all this, whenever I please (and whenever the ticket gods smileth upon me). I’ve never appreciated this country’s cultural heritage more.

P.S. Friendly reminder that Outlander season 8, the final season, with a completely unknown ending because the book series is not finished yet, is in progress right now. Put on your best plaid outfit, grab some whiskey and shortbread, and binge-watch with me this weekend!