WHO are we? Where are we? Where have we been? More importantly, where are we going? Too much of an existentialist set of questions to be pondering while you’re having your porridge?
Yes. The most immediate question in my head right now is, "How many hours of sitting on the sofa watching Wimbledon with a glass of Pimms in my hand can I justify to myself."
But the questions about where we are going are relevant. We have had a route map offered up to us, so which direction to take? And we can’t face up to the future if we don’t have a handle on our past.
The notion of what it is to be Scottish has never been more relevant. And, thankfully, theatre will continue to offer wonderful opportunities to shine a light on the debate.
We’ve seen the recent touring revival of Sunshine on Leith. The National Theatre of Scotland produced the screen-to-stage black comedy that is Peter Mullan’s Orphans.
Today, at Oran Mor, if you get that porridge down your neck fast enough (you can catch Wimbledon on catch-up) there’s a chance to see the sensational Scots, the musical play which somehow manages to cover the entire history of Scotland, its culture and customs – in an hour.
But there are enticing new productions that will help remind as where we’ve been. The much-awaited John Byrne play Underwood Lane, featuring music-sex mad teenagers in late Fifties Paisley, helps us understand how we survived poverty, limited expectations and those around us who knew little more than three chords.
Meanwhile, Dundee Rep is planning to stage revivals of Tony Roper’s The Steamie and Philip Differ’s clever-funny play, Smile, the Jim McLean Story.
Yes, it’s not hard to see why theatre has gone tartan. We’re set to sit on the edge of our seats over the Supreme Court decision on whether or not to approve a referendum. We’re about to face a bigger social divide than the parting on Paw Broon’s head.
And this self-reflection continues in the form of The Stamping Ground. Runrig fans will recognise this to be the title of the band’s 2001 album. Now, it’s the title of a play with music.
The Stamping Ground tells the story of what happens when together-forever couple Euan and Annie return home.
They’re seeking a ‘fresh start’ for their teenage daughter. However, there’s a heatwave in the Highlands and they soon find themselves lost in this once familiar place, now filled with more tourists than residents.
As relationships ignite and smoulder, Euan and Annie find themselves swept into a battle to save the heart of the community. But can they save each other?
“The Stamping Ground is a story about love, life and the land,” say its producers.
There’s a real chance this theatre show will set the heather alight. It won’t bring in the sort of money princes of the realm carry about in Fortnum and Mason carrier bags. But this musical play, written by Morna Young, reveals all the indications of major box office success.
What do the band’s Calum and Rory Macdonald think of their music becoming the backdrop to a new play? “It will be fascinating to see how The Stamping Ground team interpret the songs within the context of musical theatre,” they said.
It will. But be optimistic, lads. Think two words. The Proclaimers. Charlie and Craig weren’t at all sure about Sunshine On Leith. At first.
The Stamping Ground opens at Eden Court, Inverness, July 18-30 and will then tour Scotland in 2023.
Don’t miss.
The Tommy Burns Story – The King’s Theatre, Glasgow, July 7-9 - celebrates the life of the modest hero who grew up in the Calton in Glasgow before going on to play for and manage his beloved Glasgow Celtic.
Cluedo returns
OH, aren’t we desperate for a little bit of silliness? Contrived silliness that is, not Boris Johnson daftness, or the scripted nonsense which descends so regularly from Westminster and Holyrood.
That’s why the arrival of Cluedo comes at a very good time.
The play, starring former EastEnders and Coronation Street lead Michelle Collins, is based on the 1985 Hollywood film by Jonathan Lynn.
And yes, it was a flop on release, but remember The Rocky Horror Show wasn’t exactly rammed when it first hit disinterested theatres across the land.
But back to Cluedo. The plot is almost Boris-simple. Set in the late Forties, the characters, all with the familiar board game names, are being blackmailed. They gather at remote country house (where else?) where of course they begin to drop like the current Dow Jones.
However, is this a production piece that cuts the Colonel Mustard? Can you really turn a board game into a theatre play and take it seriously enough to provide big laughs?
Well, audience reaction says you can. And there have been comparisons with The Play That Goes Wrong. And that is the sort of comparison theatre producers dream of.
Michelle Collins, who plays Miss Scarlett, is also said to offer up a delicious sneering sarcasm.
If you love to solve comedy murders, jokes being murdered, and are a great big fan of the big reveal, then Cluedo is almost certainly worth a throw of the dice.
Cluedo, Theatre Royal, Glasgow, from Mon, 4 July-Sat, 9 July
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