Duncan Harley

Mad Max meets Star Wars in this hilariously camp re-run of the Queen back catalogue. We Will Rock You (WWRU) is of course a juke-box musical and the Ben Elton inspired story is at best weak at the knees. But it doesn’t really matter. Few come to this show to dwell on the plot. It’s all about the Queen numbers. And the show features a shed load of them. Set 300 years into the future, WWRU inhabits a world dominated by Globalsoft, an outrageously oppressive corporate giant run by the Killer Queen, which dominates society to the point where free thought and creativity have been all but obliterated. Enter hero Galileo Figaro – a splendidly cast Ian McIntosh. A bohemian and a dreamer by nature, Galileo – following various adventures including an Arthurian guitar hunt ending in Wembley Stadium - re-invents rock, defeats the Killer Queen and gets the girl. So that’s all right then. But, as I said, the plot is simply a modest vehicle for the music and the entertainment value is where...

The Kit Kat Klub meets Ridley Scott's  Hovis Bicycle Boy halfway up the cobbled hill in this tale of a down-on-its-uppers footwear factory revived in the nick of time by a troupe of handsome men in dresses. Based on the original 2005 Deane and Firth film and with an impressive musical score courtesy of Cyndi Lauper, Kinky Boots apparantly reflects true events and t his feelgood tale of crotch-length shoes should please folk of all genders intent on a good night out.   Following a death in the family, Charlie Price finds himself in command of a bunch of singing mill-workers and inherits the failing family shoe-business. What to do for the best, he wonders. Enter stage left lovely drag queen Lola. A seedy nightclub and a troupe of ‘Land of Lola’ drag-dancers later, Charlie has his Damascus moment. Seemingly the world of drag is replete with unreliable footwear. Yep, I kid you not and what’s not to like? Make them red and make them sturdy is the mantra. Some suitable pro...

During the next two weeks, alongside Kinky Boots, there are a couple of must see's in and around Aberdeen. Kinky Boots of course arrives at HMT for a two-week run on Tuesday 23 rd April. Described as “A joyous story of Brit grit to high-heeled hit” it should at the very least be a hoot. The blurb/fluff reads something like ‘Charlie Price is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the shoe factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola - a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos.’ So, what’s not to like. On a more local level, we have both Lost at Sea and Doorways in Drumorty to look forward to. Doorways dwells on the extraordinary tale of a Strichen lass by the name of Lorna Moon who made it big in Hollywood script-writing circles. Penned by author/playwright Mike Gibb the play explores a curtain twitching normality last seen in...

Cilla the Musical is based on BAFTA-winning writer Jeff Pope’s 2014 ITV series and tells the story of Black’s meteoric rise from ambitious Cavern Club cloakroom girl to chart-topping mega-star. Her sometimes turbulent relationships with Bobby Willis and the troubled Brian Epstein feature strongly alongside a no-holds-barred peek into Black’s less-savoury aspects. At a not-too-long two hours and fifty minutes, including interval, the show celebrates the triumphs and the tribulations of one of Epstein’s many stars and covers the greats from the Cilla back catalogue along with tribute numbers from the bands from the heady days of the Black magic. Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Mamas & the Papas and of course the Fab Four feature alongside a stream of biopics of the men behind the labels. Burt Bacharach, Ed Sullivan and Andrew Lancel’s splendidly vulnerable Brian Epstein feature alongside Alexander Patmore’s study of the dependably stoic Bobby Willis. Scotti...