‘Sunshine On Leith’
Pitlochry Festival Theatre - 23/11/23
A joyous show to lift the spirits in these troubled times. Elizabeth Newman has revived her production at Pitlochry as their pre-Christmas offering. What a little magical wizard as a director she has turned out to be! Gets better and better with every Pitlochry production as well as developing co- productions, adapting classics and directing. I am surprised she hasn’t been courted by the West End.
Even better than last summer’s production this revival zings with energy, great songs and a story-line which hits the mark for ordinary folk today. The cast even managed to encourage the primarily ‘matinee audience of a certain age’, to sing and cheer. Developed at Dundee Rep in 2003 the playwright Stephen Greenhorn never imagined the show would go on an incredible journey with awards, tours, revivals, a multitude of amateur production and even a feature film. The clever weaving of the music and songs (28 in all, according to the programme including transitions) of The Proclaimers and a hard-hitting storyline takes the audience on moments in time that we can all recognise. No over-egged dialogue and a song a minute ensure the audience never gets bored. (Take note Martin Scorsese, I fell asleep in his latest epic). Even after a Festive Lunch in the theatre foyer.
This production is almost faultless. Costumes and a minimal set. Four double trucks for the band on stage plus a simple skyline of Edinburgh. Who needs fancy sets when the show and the music is so good? Great lighting design. I particularly liked the moving lights scanning the audience, creating a dynamic. A multi-talented cast of twelve, who can act, sing, and play multiple instruments, moving in and out of character at ease on cue, and remembering where they had left their instruments and what furniture and props to whiz on and off. (I challenge members of the audience when they are looking for their glasses.) The two lead male protagonists, Finlay Bain as Ally and Robbie Scott as Davy, take centre stage holding the show together with tremendous energy and good strong voices. Fiona Wood as Liz and Sinead Kenny as Yvonne complement them perfectly, again with charm, thoughtful performance, and great singing. What can I say about a favourite of mine Keith Macpherson as Rab? He mines every inch out of his comic, sad, character with Alyson Orr as Jean, his wife. She sings ‘Sunshine on Leith’ perfectly. Not over-sentimental, just right. Jessica Divis plays Eilidh without over-sentimentality. And what can you say about James Dawoud as the Barman? His high energetic playing is standout. No wonder he is graduating to CBeebies TV. Charlotte Grayson is multi-talented as Hazel and the ensemble contributions by Trudy Ward, Callum Marshall and especially rock guitar by Jake Reynolds complete this strong cast. This is truly a democratic ensemble. A note about the programme. Every member of the cast, creative team and people are listed alphabetically. I have been collecting programmes since the sixties and this is a refreshing move. Theatre depends on teamwork to make it happen. Finally, if you need something to cheer you in these dismal times then hot-foot to beautiful Pitlochry. You will not be disappointed.
‘Sunshine On Leith’ is running until 23rd December.
