Local Hero, Lyceum

I went into this show with some trepidation.  When one of your all time favourite movies is being moved to the stage it's natural to feel some concern that precious memories will be trampled upon.  And when the chosen genre for this rejigging is the musical, a form I've always found it hard to like, the worries grow.  Reassuringly the creative collaboration behind this offering included the brains behind the original, Bill Forsyth and Mark Knopfler, guided by the theatrical genius that is Davie Greig.  Would they, could they, let me down?

My biggest objection to musicals is their penchant for concentrating on the song and dance elements at the expense of everything that makes theatre worthwhile - plot, characterisation, drama, telling a story the audience needs to hear.  And the opening number, A Barrel of Crude, threatened to sink all my hopes in one go.  It was slick, well choreographed, visual and vacuous.  It was also the last time I felt that way.

The show sticks largely to the plot of the film, with a few changes to suit the stage, but with the iconic telephone box still to the fore.  If you haven't seen the film (why ever not - do so immediately!) it's the story of an American oil company representative, Mac (Damian Humbley) sent to buy up a village in the north of Scotland because the bay it sits on has been identified as the best site for a new onshore processing plant.  The locals, fronted by solicitor/hotelier Gordon (Matthew Pidgeon) are keen to sell up and make their fortunes, but voices are raised over the ethical aspects of the business and Happer (Simon Rouse), flies in to resolve matters, with unexpected results for all.

The original is funny, human, life enhancing.  Greig's script retains all those elements and adds in musicality and movement in ways that feel organic to the production.  After that pretty dire opening number the songs all contribute in adding to plot and/or character.  Maybe Viktor the Russian belting out Lone Star State was an exception, but one that was such a fond memory in the original that to leave it out would have been a kick in the face to fans!

Most intriguing were the changes made to the storyline to adapt to life on the small stage.  Stella (Katrina Bryan), Gordon's wife, plays a much more prominent role here than in film, becoming the primary conscience of the community and of the story.  And of Mac himself, as his professional role is increasingly compromised by his personal feelings. 

The end result is a triumph, faithful to the soul of the original, a visual and emotional treat in itself.  It will have, and deserve, a life of it's own alongside it's renowned progenitor.

The Good Lovelies, Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

A Canadian Folk night, with pop and country and rock influences thrown in.  Opening were duo The Fortunate Ones.  Guitar keyboard and vocals, mostly self penned material that showed a variety of roots, with some strong melodies and interesting lyrics.  Gentle ballads through to a rockier sound.  They were funny too, an excellent starter act.

The Good Lovelies trio specialise in harmony singing and friendliness.  Aided by a sound, and at times inspired, rhythm section of bass and drums, and sharing guitars and banjo and keyboards themselves, they performed a strong set of their own and traditional songs with a strong pop influence in many of the arrangements.  A highlight was the threesome coming down off the stage to sing unamplified, the purity of their harmonies shown off to full effect.

Enjoyable.

Chic Murray : A Funny Place for a Window (A Play, a Pie and Pint), Traverse

A glimpse into the life of one of Scotland's most iconic comedians, and a reminder of what a unique talent he was.  You can't put much depth on a character in only 50 minutes, but there were a a few glimpses of Chic's private life.  His beginnings as a singer, double act with Maidie, and a comedy career that left her behind, combined with chronic uncertainty, plus references a few career highlight, such as his cameo appearance in Gregory's Girl.

Maureen Carr is excellent as Maidie, Brian James O'Sullivan does sterling work playing multiple characters, and Dave Anderson frequently manages to convince you that the great man was there in front of you, albeit inconsistently, and captures his sadness well.  The set is clever and flexible, the script a bit flakey at times, failing to make best use of the time.  But despite these failings it's definitely worth a watch as a reminder of a funny, funny man.

Jo Caulfield : Stand Up Special for BBC Radio 4

A brief intro from Julia Sutherland, explaining, amusingly, the audience's role in what was about to come, and then Jo was on the stage.  As caustic and sharp as ever, what would eventually be edited down into a half hour radio programme moved rapidly from subject to subject, with occasional retakes where she felt the delivery could be improved.  Topics included how to sleep, her own take on the kitchen magic triangle (gin was prominently involved), her role as 'the man' when she's out with her 'girly girlfriends' and the hidden secrets of online dating.  Plus, as ever, the major failings of her husband.  Fast, funny, warmly misanthropic.  It'll make a good show on the airwaves.

The recording was followed by a request from Jo for our indulgence.  She wanted to try out some new material which she wasn't sure she could make funny enough to use, wasn't sure she could be capable of delivering.  It concerned the recent death of her sister, clearly still a very raw would in her psyche.  The resulting monologue was tear inducing, for both her and us, but there were certainly more than enough laughs for it to become a strong element of a future set.  And the emotional punch it carried widens the breadth of her comedy credentials.  Good on Jo for taking something so tragic and sharing it with others who may take their own strength from her experiences.

Le Vent du Nord, Muisc Room, Liverpool Philharmonic

This 5 man Québécois outfit come out fizzing with energy from the start and never let up.  Joyful and passionate about the music, they can all tell tales about the songs and their origins, a humourous bonus on top of virtuoso playing (and podorythmie) and harmony vocals.  Respect for the tradition  is no rein on exuberance and delight, and they had the audience on their feet at the end.  Unmissable.

Joni 75 : A Birthday

A recording of a tribute concert, held in Los Angeles last November, dedicated to the music of one of the greatest songwriters and performers of the past 50 years.  Joni Mitchell can no longer perform, following a brain aneurysm, but was in the audience to watch a star studded line up perform a selection of her best know works.  A dozen acts, from varying genres, performed.  While some stuck pretty much to the original versions, there were some interesting interpretations which freshened thing sup.  Notable contributions from laconic Glen Hansard (Coyote), the stunning Emmylou Harris (The Magdalen Laundries) and the compendium of energy that is Los Lobos (Nothing Can Be Done).  And a touching tribute from a frail looking Kris Kristofferson (A Case Of You) who was accompanied sympathetically by Brandi Carlile.  For a full list of the acts look on IMDB.

One man sang something other than a Joni song.  Graham Nash, her one time partner, played Our House, the song he wrote about their life together.  Not a dry eye...

Interspersed between numbers were a few brief interviews with the performers and other admirers, but their generally gushing nature added nothing to the proceedings and felt like a missed opportunity.  A bit more meat about the great woman would have been welcome.

But it was Mitchell's night, and few have as great a claim as she to be feted in this way.  Unmissable for Joni fans.

Bohemian Rhapsody

A conventional, and largely superficial, biopic of Queen front man Freddie Mercury, from the founding of the band through to their big scene at Live Aid in 1985.  Mercury is a natural subject for drama, but this treatment edges too much towards the hagiographic, skipping lightly over the darker aspects of his character.  However there's no faulting Rami Malek's flamboyant performance of the outré Mr Mercury which gives us his full exuberance.  The other band members are sketched in with the lightest of brushes, but it's sometimes hard to believe that Gwilym Lee isn't the real Brian May so perfect is his take on the guitarist.

The final fifteen minutes are dedicated to that now legendary Live Aid showing, and added little to the movie.  Indeed the whole thing could have benefited from losing a good twenty minutes or more in the edit.

Fun, but best for the Queen devotees really.