Empire Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, until 7 February 2009

Scene from Sunshine on Leith

I LOVE musicals. I love the music of The Proclaimers. I was prepared to love this show. The build up to it suggested nothing less than a triumph. I went prepared to be disappointed.

After all, when you think of the songs of the ‘Muchty brothers, they wouldn’t immediately suggest musical. Lyrics about politics, emigration and war are not the traditional fare of this type of theatre.

As it turned out, the combination of the music (arranged for a nine-piece band by musical director Hilary Brooks) and Stephen Greenhorn’s script produced a witty, sentimental and truly satisfying show for all ages. At times it made me think this is what a 7:84 Theatre Company pantomime would be like, which is no bad thing.

On the one hand, there was a lot of enthusiastic dancing and singing from the cast (which includes Invernessian Ann Louise Ross), some truly dreadful puns and the occasional dig about Fifers. On the other hand, we were continually reminded of the abject misery of working class life.

Admittedly, at times the flow felt a little contrived and we began playing at spot the song that this scene is leading up to. There was a pleasant comfort when we were proved correct.

Highlights for me were ‘I’m on My Way’ and the now well known ‘Lets Get Married’. The scene where Rab looks back on the past was very well done, as was the slightly surreal scene when Jean does the same thing. Worth a mention, too, was the witty ‘You Should Have been Loved’.

While there really was not much of a plot, the songs were used to illustrate points or add more bits of energy to the story, and led to some poignant moments. I spotted more than one tear being wiped away during ‘Letter from America.’ All of a sudden it hits you that this is about real people leaving real families, and it is still happening.

The whole show was meticulously choreographed, and together with the well thought-out costumes and set design, it made for a hugely enjoyable and truly Scottish musical. You rarely see an Inverness audience show much enthusiasm, but last night was different. If you can get your hands on a ticket, make sure you go and see this terrific spectacle.

© Karen Ray, 2009

Links

• Eden Court Theatre
• Dundee Rep Theatre

drama,highland,music