Latest news with #RestlessNatives:TheMusical
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.
The National
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Everything you need to know about the new Restless Natives musical
Michael Hoffman has a score to settle and the Hollywood director has vowed he will achieve this across the theatres of Scotland this summer. 'It's a chance for us all to go back and reclaim our past,' says the actor, writer and director, who has returned for a second bite of a Scottish story that's become a cult classic status since its release 40 years ago. 'It was upsetting when it wasn't well received at first. It was painful for us. But it was triumphant for us in certain ways, too.' Now the triumph is the curtain going up on a new telling of a story he left behind in 1985, as Restless Natives: The Musical takes to the road around Scotland. In the mid-1980s, having been inspired by his experience of Robert Redford's Sundance film development lab in Utah, Hoffman got together with some of his young mates and launched a national screenwriter's competition in the UK. One of the short scripts they received was from Ninian Dunnett, telling the story of a pair of Edinburgh lads who, in the midst of the hopelessness of 1980s economic depression, buy a pair of masks and rob tour buses. Producer David Puttnam picked it as the winner and the short project was developed into a feature-length film by Hoffman and cohorts and released in 1985. 'It was one of the easiest, most seamless roads between discovering a piece of material then making it that I've ever had in my life,' says Hoffman, whose Hollywood credits since include One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and A Midsummer Night's Dream with Christian Bale and Dominic West. 'But it had a pretty rocky start. Reviews were not good at first, partly because we were hot on the heels of Bill Forsyth's movies. We certainly weren't trying to make another Bill Forsyth movie but there were similar things going on tonally, perhaps in particular to That Sinking Feeling. 'But the film went on to find fans in America and Scotland and all over the world. It started to reclaim a position for ourselves. It was still a long journey to get to the point when James McAvoy said to me the reason he'd do my film The Last Station is because he loved Restless Natives when he was a kid. Or Gerry Butler turning up at a party and saying he wasn't worthy to shake my hand because Restless Natives was his favourite film. Or Jack Black wanting to remake it in America. It has had this long, crazy life.' (Image: Restless Natives Musical) The latest step in that crazy life sees the caper adapted for theatre as a stage musical, featuring – as the film did – the music of Big Country, with the production team from the flick bringing it to the stage. The original film written by Ninian Dunnett featured relative unknowns Vincent Friell and John Mullaney alongside bona fide movie star Ned Beatty. A lifetime on, Hoffman has co-written the book for the stage show starring Kirsty MacLaren, Kyle Gardiner, Finlay McKillop and Alan McHugh. Five decades later, it will play to audiences for whom many of the themes will resonate as clearly as they would have done with those who saw it at the time. He says: 'It's the story of two under-employed kids in Edinburgh who feel like their lives are bereft of possibility. One decides he has to take his chance, and they go out as The Clown and The Wolfman and rob tourist coaches. What was an insane scheme leads them to international popularity and they become these Robin Hood bandits who capture the imagination of the whole world. It's a romance and a bromance. And it's about growing up. 'It's also that basic notion about identity and self-respect and finding a way forward towards a dream that you have or a possibility that you see. That never goes away. It's a fundamentally aspirational story and an aspirational story is timeless. (Image: Restless Natives Musical) 'In Thatcher's Britain people felt really at risk up here. And I think the questions in that are things young people are asking now: is there a world for me? I think that still really plays. What makes it universal is that it's an underdog story about people who need to reclaim their self-respect and ask for a little bit of dignity from the world. That theme and idea operates in every relationship in the movie. And I think that operates on some level for Scotland, too. It's a movie about reclaiming your identity.' The revival of interest in the film has, he admits, been enhanced by the podcast of the same name but also the enduring love for the band whose music formed the soundtrack. Hoffman says: 'The crossover between Big Country lovers and the film has also been a massive injection of energy. When the band play the theme tune from the film everybody really comes alive. It has become a real stalwart set piece in their concerts. 'I always loved Big Country. I had their first album early on and I wanted them to do the music for Restless Natives because of the spirit of the music they were making. It really made sense with what the movie was about. We thought it was a way to distinguish the film from everything else in the landscape.' The band, led by Dunfermline's Stuart Adamson, were at the height of their powers in the mid-1980s, and created epic soundscapes for Hoffman's film, immediately identifiable as their own. Adamson tragically died 16 years after the film's release but Hoffman believes his sound and spirit have flavoured the new show, which draws on the Big Country catalogue, including a spine-tingling a capella version of one of their biggest hits. 'We all have ups and downs, especially in the life of a rock band such as Big Country and all the changes they go through. But doing this again has reminded us all of why we're doing any of this in the first place: dreaming big.' Restless Natives The Musical is at Perth Theatre until May 10; Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, May 14-17; His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, May 21-24; Eden Court, Inverness, May 29 – June 1; Leith Theatre, Edinburgh June 7-22; King's Theatre, Glasgow June 24-28.
The Herald Scotland
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Everything you need to know about the new Restless Natives musical
'It was upsetting when it wasn't well received at first. It was painful for us. But it was triumphant for us in certain ways, too.' Now the triumph is the curtain going up on a new telling of a story he left behind in 1985, as Restless Natives: The Musical takes to the road around Scotland. In the mid-1980s, having been inspired by his experience of Robert Redford's Sundance film development lab in Utah, Hoffman got together with some of his young mates and launched a national screenwriter's competition in the UK. One of the short scripts they received was from Ninian Dunnett, telling the story of a pair of Edinburgh lads who, in the midst of the hopelessness of 1980s economic depression, buy a pair of masks and rob tour buses. Producer David Puttnam picked it as the winner and the short project was developed into a feature-length film by Hoffman and cohorts and released in 1985. 'It was one of the easiest, most seamless roads between discovering a piece of material then making it that I've ever had in my life,' says Hoffman, whose Hollywood credits since include One Fine Day with Michelle Pfeiffer and A Midsummer Night's Dream with Christian Bale and Dominic West. 'But it had a pretty rocky start. Reviews were not good at first, partly because we were hot on the heels of Bill Forsyth's movies. We certainly weren't trying to make another Bill Forsyth movie but there were similar things going on tonally, perhaps in particular to That Sinking Feeling. 'But the film went on to find fans in America and Scotland and all over the world. It started to reclaim a position for ourselves. It was still a long journey to get to the point when James McAvoy said to me the reason he'd do my film The Last Station is because he loved Restless Natives when he was a kid. Or Gerry Butler turning up at a party and saying he wasn't worthy to shake my hand because Restless Natives was his favourite film. Or Jack Black wanting to remake it in America. It has had this long, crazy life.' (Image: Restless Natives Musical) The latest step in that crazy life sees the caper adapted for theatre as a stage musical, featuring – as the film did – the music of Big Country, with the production team from the flick bringing it to the stage. The original film written by Ninian Dunnett featured relative unknowns Vincent Friell and John Mullaney alongside bona fide movie star Ned Beatty. A lifetime on, Hoffman has co-written the book for the stage show starring Kirsty MacLaren, Kyle Gardiner, Finlay McKillop and Alan McHugh. Five decades later, it will play to audiences for whom many of the themes will resonate as clearly as they would have done with those who saw it at the time. He says: 'It's the story of two under-employed kids in Edinburgh who feel like their lives are bereft of possibility. One decides he has to take his chance, and they go out as The Clown and The Wolfman and rob tourist coaches. What was an insane scheme leads them to international popularity and they become these Robin Hood bandits who capture the imagination of the whole world. It's a romance and a bromance. And it's about growing up. 'It's also that basic notion about identity and self-respect and finding a way forward towards a dream that you have or a possibility that you see. That never goes away. It's a fundamentally aspirational story and an aspirational story is timeless. (Image: Restless Natives Musical) 'In Thatcher's Britain people felt really at risk up here. And I think the questions in that are things young people are asking now: is there a world for me? I think that still really plays. What makes it universal is that it's an underdog story about people who need to reclaim their self-respect and ask for a little bit of dignity from the world. That theme and idea operates in every relationship in the movie. And I think that operates on some level for Scotland, too. It's a movie about reclaiming your identity.' The revival of interest in the film has, he admits, been enhanced by the podcast of the same name but also the enduring love for the band whose music formed the soundtrack. Hoffman says: 'The crossover between Big Country lovers and the film has also been a massive injection of energy. When the band play the theme tune from the film everybody really comes alive. It has become a real stalwart set piece in their concerts. 'I always loved Big Country. I had their first album early on and I wanted them to do the music for Restless Natives because of the spirit of the music they were making. It really made sense with what the movie was about. We thought it was a way to distinguish the film from everything else in the landscape.' The band, led by Dunfermline's Stuart Adamson, were at the height of their powers in the mid-1980s, and created epic soundscapes for Hoffman's film, immediately identifiable as their own. Adamson tragically died 16 years after the film's release but Hoffman believes his sound and spirit have flavoured the new show, which draws on the Big Country catalogue, including a spine-tingling a capella version of one of their biggest hits. 'We all have ups and downs, especially in the life of a rock band such as Big Country and all the changes they go through. But doing this again has reminded us all of why we're doing any of this in the first place: dreaming big.' Restless Natives The Musical is at Perth Theatre until May 10; Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, May 14-17; His Majesty's Theatre, Aberdeen, May 21-24; Eden Court, Inverness, May 29 – June 1; Leith Theatre, Edinburgh June 7-22; King's Theatre, Glasgow June 24-28.
The Courier
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Dundee's Finlay McKillop leaves ITV's 99 To Beat after rule-break
A Dundee actor has 'controversially' been eliminated from an ITV gameshow after breaking the rules. Saturday night TV viewers have been watching former High School of Dundee pupil Finlay McKillop compete in 99 To Beat, which has been compared to Netflix hit Squid Game. The weekly gameshow sees 100 contestants whittled down by playing 'stupidly simple games', with the last person standing winning £25,000. It is hosted by soap star brothers Ryan and Adam Thomas. Finlay's departure coincides with the third night at Perth Theatre of Restless Natives: The Musical, in which he plays the lead role of Will. Tonight's edition of 99 To Beat began with the remaining 26 contestants being told their numbers would be halved by the end. One of these casualties would be Finlay, who came a cropper on the programme's third – and suitably unusual – test. Each contestant was tasked with getting a tin can over the finish line using a ball inside a drooping sock attached to their midriff. It was a challenge of balance, technique and patience, as each contestant had to use their core to direct a pouch dangling between their legs. The slowest person to finish would be eliminated. Only 20 contestants remained after the show's first two tasks Finlay was confident he could progress further. The 26-year-old, who has 4.5 million likes on TikTok, said: 'I am an actor and in my industry you have to be a competitive person. 'I have in my head what I'm going to do. 'If it goes wrong, there is a plan B. 'We will have to see.' But Finlay had made little progress even after 18 of the remaining contestants had completed the challenge. The only rival still on the course was Kent radio presenter Robin Nixon, the oldest contestant at 63. But he was tantalisingly close to the finishing line and only a miracle could save Finlay. 'It's not going to plan so I have to change my tactics,' Finlay said afterwards. Suddenly, he propelled the ball at speed past the finishing line to leave Robin seemingly out of the game. Just as it looked as though Finlay had made a great escape, a buzzer sounded. A voice said: 'There has been a rule break. 'Finlay, you used your hand to move the ball. 'Please return to the start 'Robin, you go back to where you were.' This decision effectively eliminated Finlay because Robin only needed a few nudges to pass the finish line. After the inevitable was confirmed, one of the presenters said: 'A controversial night on ITV for Finlay.' Finlay said afterwards: 'If I have broken the rules then I start again. 'I can't complain about that. 'I gave it a good whack but it wasn't to be. 'I usually like my beans in cans but I'm off them now!' The defeat last summer appears not to have harmed Finlay's acting career. Finlay, who now lives in London, is currently in Scotland playing the lead role of Will in Restless Natives: The Musical. He was upbeat as he signed off from the show. 'Back to the singing and acting,' he said. 'I've had my fun with the silly challenges. 'Get me to the West End!' Tickets are available for Restless Natives, which runs at Perth Theatre until May 10, and the Macrobert Arts Centre in Stirling from May 14 to May 17.
