Latest news with #PerthTheatre
The Courier
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
EXCLUSIVE: Perth Concert Hall needs £3m overhaul in 20th birthday year
Perth Concert Hall needs almost £3 million of taxpayers' money spent on its upkeep. Perth and Kinross councillors have agreed to fund a £2.895m overhaul of the venue. It comes as preparations are under way to celebrate Perth Concert Hall's 20th anniversary later this year. The council says the funding will pay for 'essential maintenance and upgrades'. There are no details of precisely what's required. But a council spokesperson told The Courier the works are needed 'to improve the general condition and energy performance of the building'. They added: 'The initial phase of works will prioritise the roof, heating and air conditioning systems and building fabric improvements.' The steel and glass venue was completed in 2005 at a cost of £12.3m. The new funding package was approved by Perth and Kinross Council's finance and resources committee. The same meeting also agreed to award £75,000 towards celebrations in September to mark the 20th anniversary of the Concert Hall opening. The 125 Live! street party will also commemorate the 125th anniversary of Perth Theatre. The two venues are run by a charity, Horsecross Arts, on behalf of the council. A spokesperson there referred questions back to the council. The Concert Hall was officially opened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 following a two-year construction project. It has hosted many top acts, as well as political conferences and other large gatherings. And its Gannochy Auditorium is said to be one of the best-sounding halls in Europe. The arrival of the Concert Hall rendered the old Perth City Hall redundant as an events space and it closed. The city centre landmark lay empty for more than a decade and was slated for demolition before it re-opened as Perth Museum after a £27m facelift last March. Councillors were warned in 2021 that Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre needed millions of pounds spent on them in order to upgrade 'fairly elderly' equipment and infrastructure. The cost of keeping both premises ventilated was described as 'prohibitively expensive.' A meeting in December 2021 heard: 'Horsecross had not any history of setting aside funds – probably because there wasn't the funds to set aside – for investment in its own internal equipment and infrastructure.'
The Courier
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
6 unmissable events for the whole family at Perth Festival of the Arts 2025
Looking to break out of your weekend routine? Look no further than Perth Festival of the Arts 2025. In one packed weekend (May 23-25) it hosts 16 vastly different events to choose from, as well as open air concerts and art exhibitions from ArTay and Perthshire Photographic Society. Here are six events to look out for that weekend. Those of an older disposition will remember Sir Derek Jacobi in the TV adaptation of I Claudius. But his career spans six decades and his versatility ranges from classic Shakespeare characters, cameos in both Gladiator films, The Crown, Day of the Jackal and lots more. Richard Clifford's longevity in the acting world mirrors that of Sir Derek, and with him in the driving seat for the evening there will be incredible insights and anecdotes – as he has also been Derek's partner since the 1970s. What better way to kick off the weekend? Perth Theatre, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. Friday May 23, 7.30pm. Tickets are £29 each; concessions £27. Council parking in Perth city centre is free after 6pm. Thimblerow car park is a short walk away from the theatre and usually has plenty of space. Lauder tells the tale of the legendary Scottish entertainer Sir Harry Lauder, who by 1911 had become the highest-paid performer in the world and an international star. MacDougall might be more familiar as the voice of classical music on BBC radio, but his versatility will bring Lauder to life, revealing a man of mischief and ingenuity and the creator of classics like Roamin' in the Gloamin' and I Love a Lassie. Winston Churchill called Lauder 'Scotland's greatest ambassador'. Jamie's one-man show, written by Jimmy Logan, will give ample proof that this was no over-exaggeration. Perth Theatre, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. Sunday May 25, 3pm. Adults £22.50, concessions £20.50, under-18s £5. This performance is dementia-friendly, with adapted sound and lighting for comfort and a relaxed approach to sound an movement. The festival is never purely secular – the sacred side of things plays an equally important part. The magnificent St Ninian's Cathedral, one the city's finest buildings, hosts choral evensong on Sunday, sung by the cathedral choir. The setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis will be by Noble and the anthem chosen is The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, by Sir Edward Elgar. But the music doesn't end there. At 5pm, the Cathedral's Director of Music, Geoff Bolton, will perform an organ recital, with music by JS Bach, Healey Willan, Messiaen and Eugene Gigout. Perth Cathedral (St Ninian's), N Methven St, Perth PH1 5PP Sunday May 25, 4pm. Free. If you miss this performance, don't fret – the choir will also be singing at a Choral Mass to mark Ascension Day at 7pm on May 29. World class symphony orchestras are common visitors to the festival, some international, some home-bred. This year, Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra are set to bring an eclectic mix of the familiar and the less well-known. Under the baton of Grzegorz Nowak, the concert opens with a brand-new work by Jeffrey Ching, Il Maestro di Capella, commissioned for the orchestra's UK tour. The orchestra will perform two of the most popular works from the operatic and ballet repertoire including Bizet's scintillating Carmen Suite and music from perhaps the greatest of all ballets – Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Then follows Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending and Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations, before the concert ends with Beethoven's mighty fifth symphony. Perth Concert Hall, Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5HZ Saturday May 24, 7.30pm. Tickets range from £22.50 to £41.50, concession £19.50 to £38.50 Under-18s are £5. Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre are on the same street, but they're different buildings – the concert hall is the round building. Children are always catered for by the festival organisers, and there's a double-dose of fun this year. Opera singers Colleen and Katie combine classical music's best loved arias and duets with singing games, sensory play and puppet friends. Perth Theatre, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. May 24-25, various times between 10am and 2pm. £8 per child, with one adult included. £3 per extra adult. Performances are split into 0-2 years and 2-4 years brackets. See festival website for specific times for each version. Prokofiev's music is specially arranged for wind quintet by Children's Classic Concerts. This team of musical animals, led by Owen Gunnell, will move effortlessly from madcap mayhem to virtuosic performances, with plenty of audience participation along the way. Perth Theatre Studio, 1a Mill St, Perth PH1 5HZ. Saturday May 24, 1pm and 3pm. Tickets £16, concessions £14, under-18s £8. Carers go free when accompanying the person they care for, as is the case for many of the events at Perth Festival of the Arts. Perthshire Brass, who for the past 40 years have been promoting their style of music in Perth and Kinross, will perform an outdoor concert in St Paul's Plaza this year. And Perth Festival's chairman Craig Dennis will be taking his customary seat with fellow tuba players. However, he will have one eye on the music and one on the weather. He knows only too well what performing outdoors in a Scottish summer can be like! St Paul's Church Plaza, S Methven St, Perth PH1 5NU Saturday May 24, 11am. Free Perthshire Brass forms one act on the Community Stage programme. Other acts will take place in various venues across the city, including cafe cabaret performances, pop-up drumming concerts and adventure circus workshops! For more information and ticket prices of each performance, visit the Perth Festival website or phone 01738 621031.
The National
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Highland heists and Big Country songs: Restless Natives hits the stage
In the movie – which boasts music by Scottish rock band Big Country and a screenplay by Ninian Dunnett – the pair take to a reconditioned Suzuki motorcycle in pursuit of tourist buses and the riches contained therein. Now – as Restless Natives celebrates its 40th anniversary and Perth Theatre and Concert Hall mark 125 years of arts provision in the Fair City – the cult film has been adapted as a new stage musical. Created by Perth Theatre and no fewer than three co-producers, the show will tour to Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness and Glasgow following its stint in Perth. READ MORE: Ex-Scottish LibDem minister faces probe over lobbying and 'verbal attack' claims As an adaptation, this theatrical apple hasn't fallen very far from the cinematic tree. This is hardly surprising given that it is directed by Hoffman himself with lyrics by Dunnett. Indeed Hoffman and Dunnett contribute to the book, alongside Andy Paterson, while composer Tim Sutton has written a score that, needless to say, has songs by Big Country woven through it. We first meet Ronnie (Kyle Gardiner) and Will (Finlay McKillop) in the Edinburgh joke shop where Ronnie works. There it is that the duo are inspired to take up highway robbery wearing their soon-to-be-iconic clown and wolfman masks. From there, the play captures the film's sense of a 1980s Scotland in which these imaginative, young criminals capture the hearts of many of their country folk – and, even, those of some of the tourists whose cash and valuables they're stealing. For sure, Will has procured the affections of Margot, a patriotic bus tour guide whose father just happens to be chief of Lothian and Borders Police. (Image: MIHAELA BODLOVIC) The production is blessed with an excellent cast across the board, from young stars like the ever-impressive Kirsty MacLaren (Margot) to more experienced hands such as Sarah Galbraith (Texan cop Bender), Alan McHugh (Scottish police chief Baird) and Harry Ward (Will's dad and lunatic criminal Nigel). Translating a road movie to the stage is a tricky proposition, not least because the play can't rely on the energy that the film generates in its motorbike scenes. Consequently, this stage adaptation does stutter occasionally as it makes gear changes. Moreover, with so many scene changes – between urban and rural, indoors and outdoors – too much is asked of designer Becky Minto's set, which collides the joke shop with Highland road signs. Nonetheless, the show succeeds in evoking the times, the humour and, of course, the music of the movie. As it takes off around the country, it will, one suspects, prove to be an imperfect crowd-pleaser. At Perth Theatre until May 10, then touring until June 28:
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Scotsman
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Restless Natives, Perth review: 'a roller-coaster experience'
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Restless Natives, Perth Theatre ★★★ It's a bold move, to look back 40 years to one of the cult Scottish film hits of the 1980s, and then – with many of the original creative team still involved – to try to transform it into a 21st century musical. Yet that's what Perth Theatre and a group of London-based co-producers have taken on, in creating the new musical version of 1985 hit Restless Natives that opened in Perth this week; and if the result has slightly unfinished look – the air of a show still trying itself out, and measuring which numbers and characters work best – it's still an event packed with interest, ideas, compelling songs, and passionate performances. Finlay McKillop and Kyle Gardiner in Restless Natives | Mihaela Bodlovic The story – written by Ninian Dunnett and Andy Paterson with director Michael Hoffman – revolves around two young lads from Wester Hailes in Edinburgh, Ronnie and Will. In Thatcher's Britain, they decide to escape from their dreary economic prospects by jumping aboard Ronnie's Yamaha motorbike, and heading for the Highlands, where they start to hold up tour buses full of wealthy Americans and other visitors. They are soon joined – in spirit at least – by rebel tour guide Margot, who sees them as the heroes a sleeping Scotland needs; but when she and Will fall in love, their priorities begin to change. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Restless Natives | Mihaela Bodlovic It's a tale about love, friendship, nationhood and belonging, in other words, all illuminated by a fine mix of adapted Big Country numbers from the original film score, and new songs by Tim Sutton with lyrics by Dunnett. For my taste, the show works best when it sticks to the heightened social realism of the original film, rather than attempting fantasy cabaret; and the dramatic and political potential the team could have unleashed by rewriting the story for the 2020s is left tantalisingly unexplored. Yet the young cast are terrific, with Kirsty MacLaren as Margot and Kyle Gardiner as troubled orphan boy Ronnie hitting notable heights, backed by a splendid Harry Ward as Will's Dad and a bloodthirsty Edinburgh gangster. Restless Natives is set to tour on to Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow; and if at the moment it seems like a roller-coaster experience – swooping from heights of achievement to occasional depths of dramatic and musical confusion – it clearly has the potential to mature into an impressive and moving show, as its Scottish summer road trip continues.
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Perth Theatre Restless Natives cast in 'hold up' charity stunt
£2500 randsome to Keep Scotland Beautiful charity to free 'captives' The Perth Theatre cast of Restless Natives ambushed a tour bus - for a good cause – when it stopped in the Fair City. A Rabbie's Tours bus was full of influencers, media, and their guests who experienced the unexpected encounter on the way to Perth Theatre from Edinburgh. The cast of Restless Natives: The Musical staged a playful 'hold-up' in true rebellious spirit, celebrating the launch of the brand-new Scottish stage production. But instead of passengers paying a ransom Rabbie's Tours stepped in with a giant cheque - a £2500 donation to Keep Scotland Beautiful. Based on the beloved 1985 Scottish cult film two boys from a joke shop become 'Highland highwaymen,' cheekily holding up tour buses. As a playful nod to that, the cast of the musical staged their own 'hold-up' of the Rabbie's bus on arrival in Perth - complete with masks, costumes, and plenty of mischief. Keep Scotland Beautiful chief executive Barry Fisher said: 'While we don't normally condone holding up tour buses and visitors to our beautiful country, we are absolutely thrilled to have been selected by Rabbie's Tours to receive the ransom money from this Restless Natives stunt. 'We desperately need a sustained injection of cash to inspire and celebrate the efforts of communities across Scotland who volunteer their time to make the places they care about cleaner and greener. 'I guess we're all restless natives, trying to make Scotland a more beautiful place – from our rural beauty spots to our towns and cities. 'The impact this £2500 donation from Rabbie's Tours will have is immeasurable. We'll invest it in coordinating our Climate and Nature Friendly Communities Network – supporting and inspiring action on the ground and recognising achievements of 200+ groups across the country.' The cheeky stunt marked the opening week of Restless Natives: The Musical, which runs at Perth Theatre from Thursday, April 24 to Saturday, May 10 before heading out on a Scottish tour, visiting venues including Leith Theatre (Edinburgh), Macrobert Arts Centre (Stirling), His Majesty's Theatre (Aberdeen), Eden Court Empire Theatre (Inverness), and King's Theatre (Glasgow). Produced and directed by the same team behind the 1985 original film, and co-produced by Perth Theatre, Restless Natives: The Musical brings the story of Ronnie and Will -Highland highwaymen turned folk heroes - to a new generation. Featuring iconic music inspired by Big Country, and a book by original creators Ninian Dunnett, Michael Hoffman, and Andy Paterson alongside composer Tim Sutton, the musical celebrates Scotland's rebellious, resourceful spirit. Restless Natives writer and lyricist Ninian Dunnett said: 'I'm a big, big fan of Keep Scotland Beautiful. Our glorious landscape and community mean so much to the story of Restless Natives, and I'm thrilled that our musical caper can help support their invaluable work.' Rabbie's Tours chief executive Hazel Rickett said: 'The landscapes featured in Restless Natives are the same ones we proudly share with our passengers - wild, breathtaking, and deeply loved. 'By supporting Keep Scotland Beautiful, we're helping to protect those places so they remain that way for years to come.' Tickets are on sale now for Restless Natives.
