Entertainment Archives - Page 19 of 62

Royal Deeside Speed Festival: 21 Aug 2016

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Aug 182016

The countdown has begun to Deeside’s first ever speed hillclimb course on Sunday at the picturesque Kincardine Castle, Kincardine O’Neil.With thanks to James Parker.

2 D Type Jag Morag Yule with Car of the Day champayne (Tony Yule) 130 hillclimb cars and bikes will take part, including the 1956 Ecurie Ecosse D-type Jaguar (which has just won Car of the Day at the Ballater Week parade) and motorcycling legend and 8 times Isle of Man TT winner Charlie Williams, on his 1974 Maxton Yamaha.

In all, 400 cars will participate.

A broad cross-section of over 60 static cars will be displayed, including a Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari F50, and AC Le Mans Coupe, Colin Macrae’s MKII Ford Escort rally car, and the Charlie Bang slingshot dragster.

Tesla To Bring The Model X.

We heard from Tesla today that they will be bringing their Model X to their stand at RDSF!

The Model X will, for the first time, be north of Edinburgh and is the 1st Model X out on the road in Scotland.

Model X is the safest, fastest and most capable sport utility vehicle in history. It is, however, ludicrously fast, accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in as quick as 3.2 seconds. With all-wheel drive and a 90 kWh battery providing 303 miles of range, Model X has ample seating for seven adults and all of their gear.

18 car clubs with 240 cars will be attending, representing Ferrari, Ford, MG, Aston Martin and Subaru, to name a few.

Tesla will have a special display of their Model S electric luxury cars. Park’s Motor Group of Hamilton head up an enviable array of trade stands with their McLaren, Maserati and Bentley, including McRae and Dick (Honda and Ford); Murray Motor Group (Lotus); Pentland Land Rover Elgin are coming, and also Shirlaws (Kawasaki and Triumph).

Passenger rides on our off-roading courses are to be recommended. The Flowline-sponsored Landrover Experience will offer a thrilling ride tacking the ‘The Rocky Road’, ‘The Toblerone” and “Willie’s Drop”, and a scenic ‘off-road safari’ will be run by the Buchan Off-road Drivers Club.

4 charlie williams 04 charlie Norton The Clan BMX Stunt Team will be there to take centre stage with their death-defying stunt shows throughout the day, and our Festival Marketplace in the walled garden will showcase food, drink, crafts, beauty products and local businesses.

Kids can enjoy a climbing tower, carousels and bouncy castles.

The finale of our event will be the Westburn Finance Soapbox Derby allowing gravity (along with a few twists and jumps) to prove the thrilling does not necessarily mean engine-powered!

The Event supports the charities Children 1st and Help for Heroes.

Royal Deeside Speed Festival,
Sun 21 August 2016: 09:45am- 5:15pm
Kincardine Castle, Kincardine O’Neil,
Aboyne, Aberdeenshire AB34 5AE

Adult £15, Child £12.50, Family £50 (up to 3 children).

Advance sales via website or cash only tickets on the gate. Free parking.

For further information please visit our website www.rdsf.co.uk or follow us on Facebook (royaldeesidespeedfestival)

MHA Shines Spotlight On Mental Health Issues

Aberdeen City, Charity, Featured No Responses »

Aug 112016

With thanks to Jessica Murphy, Senior Account Executive, Citrus:Mix.

A north-east charity will lift the curtain on mental health issues at a historic theatre in the Granite City.
From a puppet show that tells the tale of a lonely fisherman to award-winning performer Juliette Burton (pictured) showcasing her perception changing show, Mental Health Aberdeen (MHA) will host a range of events later this year at the Grade A listed Tivoli Theatre.

MHA has worked in partnership with North East Arts Touring to arrange the events around World Mental Health Day in October and hopes to raise awareness of mental health and the variety of services it offers.

North East Arts Touring (NEAT) promotes high quality and professionally produced theatre, dance and film productions in rural communities across the north-east of Scotland, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Angus.

Astrid Whyte, chief executive of MHA, said:

“We want to start up conversations about mental health and play our part in making it a bit easier for people to discuss issues related to it. Plans have been gathering pace in recent months and everyone at MHA is delighted to see how things are coming together.

“Despite difficulties MHA is currently going through regarding the upcoming closure of our services in Aberdeenshire we are determined to make the most of this event. Our partnership with NEAT highlights the benefits of important collaboration between the health and arts sectors and has given us a platform to raise awareness and challenge negative perceptions of mental health in a creative way.

“Juliette is a fantastic performer who manages to get across difficult topics in an accessible way and we are sure her show Look At Me will be a great hit on the day. For us this, and the other performances and activities we have planned at the wonderful Tivoli Theatre, is a different way to mark World Mental Health Day and shine a spotlight on mental health.”

Juliette Burton is a multi award-winning actress, writer, performer, presenter and ex-BBC broadcast journalist. Her show Look At Me was an official sold out event at Edinburgh Fringe 2015 and has received five star reviews. An informed speaker and performer, Juliette is a mental health ambassador who uses her experiences to offer hope and help others.

Her show explores appearances and perceptions and whether changing how you look on the outside can change who you are inside. From dressing sexily to wearing the hijab, being male, obese, old and nude, her show has many faces and examines whether what people appear to be is who they truly are.

Juliette said:

“I’m so excited to be returning to Aberdeen and performing at the Tivoli Theatre in October to mark World Mental Health Day. Aberdeen is one of my favourite cities and I can’t wait to meet all the people who come to the show – so we can break down some barriers and use laughter to be our light in the darkness.

“I’m so honoured to be a part of such a special series of events and I hope together we can unite people so we all leave feeling enlightened, inspired, happier and more connected! Bring on October!”

The Yugen Puppet Company will also perform on the day, telling the comic tale of a lonely fisherman who falls in love with a seal, and how in matters of love things don’t always go according to plan.

Based on the myths and legends of the Scottish Selkie and using hand-crafted puppets and striking shadow silhouettes, with music from the past, the company put their own twist on the usually tragic Scottish fairy tale.

MHA will be hosting activities, which include a music workshop with charity Musicrange, at the Tivoli theatre from 11am to 4pm on October 15, and will reopen the doors from 6pm for the Look At Me show.

MHA was founded in 1950 and the organisation was among the first to provide community care with its first residential project, a group home for discharged psychiatric patients, opened more than 35 years ago. MHA has also been providing day services continuously for over 60 years.

Further information is available online at www.mha.uk.net

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First Class Service At The Last Bus Canteen

Aberdeenshire, Opinion No Responses »

Jul 292016

By Fin Hall.

I am neither a vegetarian nor a vegan; but the North East of Scotland is certainly not the best place to be if any of those ideologies are your choice. Especially the latter.
Many years ago, however, I was a vegetarian and it was even worse. I had macaroni cheese coming out of my lugs.

However, if you are willing to travel a little out of the city, up to the village of New Pitsligo a.k.a. ‘Cyaak’, you will find an absolute treasure of a restaurant.

The Last Bus Worker’s Canteen, is situated off the beaten track, or more precisely up a beaten track, just north of said village. It is run by an ex oil worker, Mike and his partner, Jessica.

They always welcome people with a hearty smile, and even it the place is busy, they move things about to find a space for you.

Down the hill from the cafe, is situated their residence and a large building in which is situated two, old double decker buses which are in a constant state of renovation. It has been known, that in times of extreme busyness, one of the aforementioned buses will be driven up the hill and parked outside, and used as an additional sitting area.

Once inside you may be seated at old bus seats before Jessica, who is always dashing about between tables taking orders with that ever present smile on her face. Don’t be excepting a vast choice on the menu, as their is only ever 1 soup choice and one main course, but there is always a fine selection of puddings; crumbles, cheesecakes, muffins, smoothies etc. All home made and very delicious.

Some of you maybe hesitating reading this, thinking, “Vegan? Not for me.”

Perish that thought. You don’t have to be vegan to eat here, and nor will you be made unwelcome just because you eat meat. All are welcome. If you don’t fancy the main course, have a pudding. Go on, have a pudding.

I give this five stars, not in the usual, Chester Hotel, type five star, but the service, taste of food and ambiance, makes it thus.

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Lonach Gathering Old Pictures To Mark Milestone Games

Aberdeenshire, Featured No Responses »

Jul 292016

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates.

Lonach Highlanders (L to R) George Thomson and Willie Coutts with a poster promoting the 1958 Lonach Highland Gathering and Games

One of the oldest traditional events in north-east Scotland is calling on the public to help celebrate a milestone anniversary next month.

On Saturday, 27 August, the 175th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games will be held in Strathdon and the event’s organisers are asking the public to contribute old pictures and videos of the event to help mark the occasion. The Lonach Highland and Friendly Society was founded in 1823 to preserve highland culture and promote community cohesion and charitable giving.

To help achieve this, it staged its first highland games in 1832, an event that has become an annual fixture.

During the first and second world wars the gathering was put in abeyance.

Over the past two centuries the Lonach Gathering has grown to become a popular annual event that attracts up to 10,000 visitors each year. A large number of photographs documenting the evolution of the gathering and the local area are held by the society, but it knows thousands more images exist.

In order to stage a display of old photographs at this year’s gathering, organisers are keen to hear from locals and visitors who have attended the event over the decades and captured still images or video footage of the annual spectacle. The society would also be eager to see old photographs of the Lonach Highland Ball, which it also organises and is held in the Lonach Hall on the Friday following the gathering.

Held in the small, picturesque Aberdeenshire village of Bellabeg, the Lonach Highland Gathering features the unique march of the Lonach Highlanders. With around 220 men, the Lonach Highlanders are believed to be the largest body of non-military men to carry ceremonial weapons in Britain. Membership of the Lonach Highlanders is drawn from residents of the local area who are descended from the Forbes, Wallace and Gordon clans.

Featuring a full programme of traditional highland events, including solo and massed piping, highland dancing and light and heavy athletics, the gathering attracts some of the country’s leading pipers, dancers and athletes. Having already completed a march round the local area in the morning, the arrival onto the games field at 1pm of the Lonach Highlanders, armed with traditional Loachaber axes and pikes, is a highlight of the day.

This year, to help mark the 175th gathering the Lonach Highlanders will be joined on their marches by the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s only private army. The Atholl Highlanders last marched at the Lonach Highland Gathering and Games in 2000.

Jennifer Stewart, secretary and chief executive of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“The 175th Lonach Gathering is a major milestone for the society and the event itself. It remains an important community event and the many thousands of visitors we welcome to the gathering each year gives the local area a major boost.

“This year’s event is shaping up to a great occasion and will feature the traditional mix of dancing, piping and light and heavy athletics. We are keen for locals and visitors to really get involved by sharing their memories of past gatherings and also help us to document the event’s evolution.

“Whether the pictures or videos were taken in recent years or decades ago, it would be fantastic to see them all. If any company can help us to display these pictures at the gathering, or is interested in sponsoring part of the event, we’d be interested to hear from them.

“One constant at each games has been the Lonach Highlanders. They create a stirring sight and sound as they depart Bellabeg at 8am to begin their march around the local area and always receive a rousing welcome as they enter the games arena at 1pm. We are honoured that the Atholl Highlanders will be marching with the Lonach men this year to help us mark our 175th gathering.”

1. Looking through some of the Lonach archive (L to R) George Thomson, Jennifer Stewart, Willie Coutts and Scott Anderson

Jennifer Stewart, secretary and chief executive of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, looks through some of the society’s archive, which includes photographs, programmes and posters, with Lonach Highlanders (L to R) George Thomson, Willie Coutts and Scott Anderson

Anyone with old photographs or videos of the Lonach Gathering should e-mail them to info@lonach.org. Where possible, old photographs should be scanned to 300dpi and any video footage should be provided as a WMV file.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire.

The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August. The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men.

Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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Lonach Fundraising For Lifesaving Equipment

Aberdeenshire, Information No Responses »

Jul 212016

With thanks to Ian McLaren, PR account manager, Innes Associates.

Lonach Hall defibrillator - Jennifer Stewart, Lonach Society, and Paul Hicks, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Jennifer Stewart with Paul Hicks of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and members of the Lonach Highlanders and local firefighters.

The organisers of the annual Lonach Highland Gathering and Games, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, have launched a fundraising campaign to install lifesaving equipment in upper Strathdon.

The society has launched an appeal to raise nearly £7,000 to fund the purchase of four public access defibrillators that will be installed at venues in the Aberdeenshire valley.

It follows the installation of a defibrillator, funded by the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, at the Lonach Hall.

Defibrillators give someone suffering a cardiac arrest more time while ambulances get to a patient’s location. It is estimated that every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of survival by 10 per cent. In remote, rural locations such as Strathdon, where the nearest major hospital is over 40 miles away in Aberdeen, access to defibrillation could prove vital.

Retained firefighters from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s Strathdon fire station, which is made up mainly of Lonach Highland and Friendly Society members, were on hand at the unveiling of the Lonach Hall defibrillator.

The Strathdon fire station, like Scotland’s other 355 fire stations, acts as a base for local people to learn vital CPR skills that can potentially save someone’s life. The training is provided in partnership with British Heart Foundation Scotland, which has donated Call Push Rescue training kits to the stations. Anyone interested in this free CPR training should contact their local fire station.

To provide the rural community with the potentially lifesaving defibrillators, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is seeking support from local businesses, organisations and local benefactors to help fund the purchase. The four bright green ‘shock boxes’ will be placed in prominent public locations throughout the rural Aberdeenshire community.

Public access defibrillators are designed for anyone to use on someone in cardiac arrest. The devices talk users through the steps required, including CPR and patient analysis, and will only deliver a shock to the patient if it detects that one is required. This means that there is no chance of malicious or accidental usage.

The sites earmarked to host one of the devices are Glenbuchat Hall, Corgarff Hall and locations in Glenkindie and Kildrummy.

Lonach Hall was chosen to host Strathdon’s first defibrillator due to its role as an important community facility. The well-used venue has been a fixture of the Bellabeg area since 1845 and hosts a range of functions, including weddings, concerts, meetings, dances and corporate events. It is also the venue for the annual Lonach Highland Ball which is organised by the society and is held the week following the annual Lonach Highland Gathering.

Jennifer Stewart, secretary and chief executive of the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, said:

“The society was founded to preserve highland culture and promote community cohesion and charitable giving, all of which still run through its core today. Supporting the local community is imperative to the society and our annual gathering continues to make a significant contribution to the local economy. We always strive to increase the scope of that contribution and this fundraising initiative is part of that.

“Strathdon is a beautiful, rural location, but one that can take some time for emergency services to get to. Defibrillators can prove crucial to increasing the chances of a patient’s survival in the minutes before an ambulance arrives. With a predominately older population, installing these pieces of lifesaving kit in the local area makes a lot of sense, particularly as no such provision currently exists.

“Applications for grant funding have been made, but any contribution from businesses, organisations or individuals would be warmly received. Our aim is to raise enough funding to have the additional four defibrillators installed by the end of 2016.”

This year sees the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society’s showpiece event reach a major milestone. The 175th Lonach Highland Gathering and Games will take place in Bellabeg on Saturday, 27 August. To mark the anniversary, the Lonach Highlanders will be joined at the games and on their march round the local area prior to the games commencing by the Atholl Highlanders, Europe’s only private army.

Established in 1823, by Sir Charles Forbes, 1st Baronet of Newe and Edinglassie, the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society is a charitable organisation based in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. The society organises the annual Lonach Gathering at Bellabeg Park, Strathdon, which is held on the fourth Saturday of August. The main attraction at the gathering is the march of the Lonach Highlanders, a unique body of non-military men.

Further information on the Lonach Highland and Friendly Society, the Lonach Highlanders and the annual Lonach Highland Gathering can be found at www.lonach.org.

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Jackie The Musical At HMT – Duncan Harley Reviews.

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

Jul 212016

Duncan Harley reviews ‘Jackie the Musical’ at His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen.

The 1970s was an era when people actually spoke face to face or, in extremis, resorted to sending handwritten letters through the post.

Although home computers were beginning to appear, digital media was largely the prerogative of the military, academia and government.

Personal mobile phones were available, but tended to be the size of bricks, and the social media app of choice was the humble GPO land line.

Remembered for its bell-bottoms, the miners’ strike and the rise of disco, the 70s heralded a few wars, a moon landing or two, plus a good few political scandals. The US had its Watergate, and in the UK we had Rinkagate, perhaps better known as the Jeremy Thorpe Affair.

While Maggie and Arthur battled it out on the picket lines, the gender-bending Bowie performed on Top of the Pops; pirate radio, the precursor to local radio, was moving shore-side, and novelist Tom Wolfe’s ‘Me Decade’ was welcoming in the recovery of the self in a flawed and corrupted society.

Boys read Commando Comics, sneaked the odd copy of naturist magazine ‘Health and Efficiency’ into the classroom and occasionally, just occasionally, thumbed through big sister’s personal copy of Jackie Magazine.

With tips on how to meet Mister Right, and with a distinctly interactive format for the day, Jackie the Magazine proved an enduring read, and by the mid 70s it was selling over 600,000 copies per week to teenage girls hooked on a heady mix of girl meets boy comic strips, advice columns and pop star pull-outs.

Then of course there were those agony aunts Cathie and Claire. In reality a randomly rotating team of DC Thomson staffers, Cathie and Claire received up to 400 letters each week from troubled teens asking about anything from the mysteries of menstruation to the mysterious nature of Mister Right.

The magazine ceased publication in 1993 after 1,534 issues, and although vintage copies can be found on eBay, perhaps the best way to connect, or re-connect according to your age, is via Jackie the Musical.

The show is built around a well trodden plot familiar to many. Jackie, played by Janet Dibley, is divorcing errant husband John, Graham Bickley.

He has fallen for Gemma, Tricia Adele-Turner, but has doubts about the new relationship. John and Jackie have a teenage son David, Michael Hamway, who aspires to pop star status, but he is in a state of unrequited love with Prosecco-saturated older woman Jill, Lori Haley Fox.

While packing for the inevitable divorce-led house move, Jackie discovers her long forgotten hoard of Jackie Magazines nestling under the stairs.

Opening the dusty boxes releases a genie in the form of a fresh-faced and sweetly naive teenage version of herself, played by Daisy Steere. A tranche of cliché-ridden 1970s-era dating advice is proffered by the younger Jackie, and things soon become heated in Jackie-land.

A convoluted but well-engineered farce ensues. The punch lines are at points slightly laboured, and the tree-dancing sequence was a bit on the odd side of fabulous; but overall the toe-tapping, gut-busting energy of this production more than makes up for those minor niggles.

The musical framework and the story line generally work seamlessly to create a powerfully nostalgic musical spectacular, fully laden with beautifully choreographed textbook 70s jukebox hits from the likes of the Osmonds, David Essex and T Rex.

Musical numbers include the classic ‘Love Hurts’, ‘I Beg Your Pardon’ and ‘Crazy Horses’. A highlight is Michael Hamway’s hilarious bump ‘n’ grind groin-shuffling rendition of the T-Rex hit ‘20th Century Boy’: even Bolan might have loved it!

For my money though, the proof of the pudding often lies in the audience reaction. At the finale, the theatre audience were literally dancing in the aisles. Nuff said!

This is a feel-good production intended to do just that, make folk feel good, and Jackie the Musical succeeds brilliantly.

Resident Director Harry Blumenau. Choreographed by Arlene Philips.
Jackie the Musical plays at HMT Aberdeen until Saturday 23rd July.

Tickets from Aberdeen Performing Arts Tel: 01224- 641122

Words © Duncan Harley and Images © DC Thomson & Co Ltd

City Magician Conjures Up Two Trophies in Competition

Aberdeen City, News No Responses »

Jun 242016

With thanks to Aberdeen Magical Society Media Team.

An Aberdeen-based magician has scooped two prestigious prizes in a hard-fought magic competition. James Dickson was awarded the Ulster Cup for Close-Up Magic and the President’s Plate by a panel of his peers at the Aberdeen Magical Society.

James, a prolific magical inventor whose tricks are used by magicians around the world, triumphed with a creative act which culminated with a signed coin appearing inside a sealed tin of peas.

He says,

“Magic is an art form that has helped me find my place in the world. Competitions are an opportunity for me to create and collate ideas, and it means a lot to me when other people like one of my performances.”

The Ulster Cup is presented to the magician who displays the best technical skill and entertainment value in Aberdeen Magical Society’s annual close-up magic competition. The President’s Plate is awarded by the society’s current president to his favourite act of the competition.

Although James has won the President’s Plate on two previous occasions, this is the first time he has lifted the Ulster Cup as he wowed the judges with his creative magic and comedic timing. He says,

“Magic is an art form at its heart and all art is an expression of the individual. The more I perform and study magic the more I end up learning about myself.

“When I create a trick I do not sit down and think what I can do that is unique or individual to me; instead I explore ideas that I find interesting and it can lead to some unusual places.

“Even if it means investing two years of work to find a solution to a problem I am willing to go that far – and what’s more, I have. This open approach to magic and commitment has allowed my work to be picked up by others who can see the value of my efforts.

“I have no idea where magic might take me but if the experiences, travel, friendships, discoveries and fulfilment that I have experienced so far are anything to go by, I am looking forward with excitement.”

James, who cites his early influences as TV stars Paul Daniels, David Copperfield and David Blaine, has always been fascinated by the challenge presented by magic, likening it to the finest ‘whodunit’ mystery. But it was joining Aberdeen Magical Society that he feels really allowed him to hone his craft.

He explains,

“Before I joined Aberdeen Magical Society I was happy self-studying magic, but upon joining I discovered why being part of a magic club is so important for a magician.

“Aberdeen Magical Society has a library of magic that covers many topics, and has rare and out-of-print materials that can help conjurors advance in their magic. Moreover, the wealth of knowledge amongst the members is staggering and the advice I have received over the years has helped me tremendously.

“The society is established enough to attract many of the greatest magicians in the world to come and lecture, and at every meeting there is magic to see and opportunities to perform tricks that you are working on. And to top it all – it’s fun! I have made great friends and it’s fantastic that every couple of weeks I can hang around with people who share the same passion in life.

“I would recommend anyone with an interest in performing or studying magic – who can keep a secret – to join.”

Aberdeen Magical Society was founded in 1926, and is one of the most active magical societies in the country. With a membership ranging from full time professionals to amateur hobbyists, all those with a genuine interest in magic are welcome to join. Providing a warm and welcoming environment for magicians in the north east of Scotland, Aberdeen Magical Society is dedicated to developing the art of magic. In 2016, the society celebrates its 90th anniversary.

For more information, visit www.aberdeenmagic.com or like Aberdeen Magical Society on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aberdeenmagicalsociety

Footloose – The Musical At HMT: Duncan Harley Reviews

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

Jun 242016

Duncan Harley Reviews Footloose – The Musical at His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen

The 1980s were pelvic times. Hard Rock, Glam Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Northern Soul and all shades of everything in-between made quite sure of that.

A torrent of unstoppable sound and movement swept the globe, empowering youth and challenging oldies.

Barriers of colour and creed turned fluid, and a new politics of expression brought young people together in an explosive mixture of sound, dance and visual art.

Except of course in Elmore City, Garvin County, Oklahoma, where evangelical Protestantism and social conservatism contrived to pretty much ban fun. A Bible Belt town of around 600 souls, Elmore has one graveyard, a Junior School and a High School. It features in the Gideon Book of Historical Places, and seemingly the school mascot is Bogey the Talking Badger.

For reasons no one could even remember, fun in the form of dancing had been banned by local ordnance since 1898. On March 3rd 1980, the Elmore School Board voted 3-2 to allow the class of 1980 to hold a school prom.

In ‘Footloose – The Musical’, Elmore has been re-named Bomont. Dancing is strictly forbidden under Local Ordnance 416, and a classic head-to-head between emerging youth and well-established establishment is defo on the cards.

Those who have seen the 1984 film, and who hasn’t, will be familiar with the plot line. Good lookin’ Chicago boy moves to Bomont, tries to fit in and meets rivalry from peers and opposition from elders. Love blossoms, establishment attitudes soften and compromise comes. Everyone starts to have fun and the art of dance is again legalized.

The transition from film to stage both retains and builds on the essential energy of the film, and although perhaps a tad slow in the very early scenes, this production builds steadily to a heady audience-engaging climax by the end of Act Two.

The casting of actor-musicians is a brave move but works very well indeed.

Any lingering suspicion that a rock band or two lurks behind the scenes is soon dispelled as Luke Baker’s ‘Ren McCormack’ and Scott Haining’s ‘Cowboy Bob’ strut their stuff and swing those flying guitars.

Even Nigel Lister’s soul-searchingly honest ‘Rev Shaw Moore’ gets in on the musical act with a rousing bass finale.

Add to the mix singer/actor Maureen Nolan as preacher’s wife ‘Vi’, a quorum of swing cowgirls and understudy Luke Thornton’s ‘Willard’ – Gareth Gates was unavailable on first night in Aberdeen – and Footloose really takes off big-time.

With around twenty classic Eighties hits, including ‘Holding Out For A Hero’, ‘Mama Says, Dancing Is Not A Crime’ and the pounding ‘Footloose Finale’, ‘Footloose – The Musical’ served up exactly what the audience wanted, and by the finale had folk dancing wildly in the aisles.

Directed by Racky Plews with David Morgan as Touring Company Stage Manager.

Footloose – The Musical plays at HMT Aberdeen until Saturday 25th June

Tickets from Aberdeen Performing Arts Tel: 01224- 641122

Aberdeen’s Music Hall Takes Time Out

Aberdeen City, Featured, Information No Responses »

Jun 172016

By Duncan Harley

We all have our story to tell about Aberdeen Music Hall. Rocket-Man Elton John can still remember playing his first ever Aberdeen gig at the venue in far off 1972 and many Aberdonians can still recall their shock introduction to Glam Rock a year later when Bowie plus legendary guitarist Mick Ronson brought Spiders from Mars to the Music Hall stage.

Elton and Bowie were in good company since the historic venue has hosted performances from many of the good and the great over the past 194 years.

Built to a design by Archibald Simpson the building opened in 1822 and over the decades performers as diverse as Charles Dickens, John Anderson the Great Wizard of the North plus the comedy duo Pinky and Perky have trodden the boards to entertain and amaze Aberdeen audiences. Politicians Tony Benn, Winston Churchill, and Lloyd George put in appearances and throughout its history, the building has played host to everything from concerts and bazaars to theatre and sporting events.

As the A Listed venue begins a £7m restoration and re-generation uplift, Aberdeen Performing Arts recently hosted a series of “Lights Oot!” events showcasing the diversity of the venue.

March 31st saw a first performance of APA Associate Artist’s Aidan O’Rourke and Jason Singh’s experimental sound work “Connect:ed” (sic). Created through the Connect Project and a year in the making, the work represents the culmination of a process involving musicians and vocalists from all walks of life and genres within the City and Shire.

The next night the Music Hall hosted “Your Hall Your Story”. Following an introductory speech from Aberdeen Provost George Adams the evening focused on the recollections and reminiscences of the users of the venue.

Directed by Douglas Irvine with Artistic Production by Lesley Anne Rose, compere Robert Lovie and actor Cameron Mowat led the audience of around 600 on a journey through the sometimes turbulent but always entertaining history of Aberdeen’s favourite concert venue using both live and recorded recollections told first hand by those who were actually there.

The stories came fast and furious throughout the evening. Roberta Duncan told how her father rose to international fame following a world record roller-skating endurance marathon in the main hall.His record making 61 hours performance seemingly stands to this day.

Mary Smith remembered meeting Sir John Barbirolli at a Hallé Orchestra performance, Sandy Hood recalled hearing Mahler and local councillor, former European and Commonwealth lightweight wrestler, Len Ironside told how wrestlers had a particular dislike of the Music Hall wrestling ring.

“It was up on stage” he said “which meant that you felt every bump and had every chance of being thrown out of the ring and down the ten feet to the floor. When this happened, the audience would simply lift you up and throw you back in.”

On one occasion, as this was going on, a voice rang out:

“Is there any word yet oh ma new hoose councillor?”

The final “Lights Oot!” night featured the first public performance of Aidan O’Rourke and Jason Singh’s musical piece “Hibernation”.

Played as a finale at “Hootenanny”, an evening hosted by the Scottish Ceilidh All Stars, the new work has become the final musical piece performed within the historic venue prior to the two year closure.

During renovation APA will be “Stepping Out” in and around Aberdeen with a programme of events inspired by the Music Hall stories.

When doors reopen in spring 2018 the venue will feature an upgraded and restored auditorium, a new 100 seat performance space plus a new box office, café and bar.

Text and images © Duncan Harley and Grampian Transport Museum, Image design – Toni Todd. First published in the May 2016 Leopard Magazine’

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AllFord At Alford: Popular Event Returns This August.

Aberdeenshire, Events No Responses »

Jun 102016

With thanks to Martyn Smith, Marketing & Events Organiser, Grampian Transport Museum.

Now in its third year, the popular AllFord at Alford event returns to the Grampian Transport Museum on Sunday 21st August.

An established annual fixture, AllFord celebrates all things ‘Fordie’ from 1908 to the present day and in 2015 over 200 such examples descended on the North East village.

One of the largest gatherings of Fords in Scotland, this year’s event will pay tribute to a number of key milestones. The Ka, Ford’s hatchback city car, was first introduced in 1996 and this year celebrates its 20th birthday.

The Fiesta, now into its seventh generation and having sold over 16 million examples, celebrates its 40th birthday – a milestone which is shared with the second generation Escort RS2000.

However, taking centre stage this year and marking its golden jubilee is the Ford Cortina MK2 – a car which will also be paid a fitting tribute at His Majesty’s Theatre in the Lyric Musical Society’s production of Made in Dagenham, with a run beginning on Wednesday 24th August. 2016 also marks 50 years since the Ford GT took the top prize at LeMans, completing a hat trick of first, second and third place.

The organising committee are keen to hear from owners of any of these examples, to ensure they can be included in a special celebration at this year’s AllFord. Entry forms for the event can be downloaded from the museum website or collected from GTM in Alford and Overton Dismantlers, Dyce.

Trade interest is also at a high, with Arnold Clark bringing along a selection of the latest commercial vehicles for display and North East Scotland college making a welcome return with information on a range of opportunities available to new and returning students.

Sandy Dalgarno, chair of the AllFord organising committee commented:

“Last year’s AllFord was exceptionally good with some fantastic cars including, of course, the immaculate MK2 Cortina which Adrian Evans brought up all the way from Birmingham. This year is going to be even better with some notable vehicle anniversaries which we plan to celebrate and already over 100 vehicles confirmed to attend!“

AllFord at Alford returns on Sunday 21st August 2016 at the Grampian Transport Museum.

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