Summer Holiday

Near the beginning of Summer Holiday, the young cast launch into Cliff Richard and the Shadows' top 10 hit 'In the Country'.  Last week I had just heard BBC Radio Scotland DJ, Grant Stott, discussing on his 'Vinyl Collective' show.  Turns out that Scottish band Belle and Sebastian's bibliophilic belter, 'Wrapped Up in Books', bears a remarkable similarity to the Shadows' penned classic. 

As a result, 20% of the royalties from the lovely literary Belle and Sebastian track now go directly to Mr Richard, who owns the publishing rights to all his songs.  'In the Country' didn't actually feature on the soundtrack of the original film version of 'Summer Holiday' but its inclusion here is a great idea as it fits in great with the storyline, and it's one of Cliff's best tracks.  

The quality of songs and the musically talented, musically versatile cast's ability to deliver them with such conviction and joie de vivre is the biggest selling point of 'Summer Holiday'.  To be honest, the first five or ten minutes of the show, which move the action from the London setting of the 1963 film to the hills of Highland Perthshire, don't really grab me.  However, as soon as David Rankine, in the Cliff Richard 'Don' role, starts singing and the rest of the actors pick up their instruments, the torch paper is lit and I absolutely love the Perthshire audiences can be famously reticent but there is none of that tonight, as a sold-out theatre sing and clap along. By the end of the show they are even dancing in the aisles. rest of the show.  

Perthshire audiences can be famously reticent but there is no evidence of that tonight, as a sold-out theatre sing and clap along, and by the end of the show they are even dancing in the aisles. 

I think part of the appeal is that the cast play their own instruments and sing live, so it's almost like a cross between a musical and a rock 'n' roll gig.  Luke Thornton, as Edwin, does a particularly great job, swapping between guitar and bass with ease, all the while providing exquisite harmonies. 

It's almost impossible to keep track of who is playing what.  I love how one minute Barbara Hockaday, as pushy showbiz mum Stella, is providing pratfalls and cracking us up with silly '60s one liners, then in the next scene, she is knocking out some tasty beats behind the drum kit.

Alexander Bean, also an extremely capable hard-hitting drummer, showcases his rich baritone voice on the lovely 'Time Drags By' and I actually prefer the cast's rendition of this song to the original recorded version. 

It's worth remembering that as well as swapping instruments, the Pitlochry Festival Theatre cast also has to change theatrical gears on a daily basis, acting in multiple productions with vastly different tones.  Bean, for example, also gives a compelling, angsty performance in 'The Crucible' (reviewed here) which couldn't be more different from his fun-loving persona tonight.  

The set design by Amanda Stoodley fits in well with the relaxed, fun vibe and the freewheeling bus seats becoming part of Lesley Hutchison's coruscating choreography.  It's definitely more 'High School Musical' than 'Top Hat' but is all the more fun for it. 

During the course of the show, the cast breaks the fourth wall and takes several trips into the audience.  They start simply enough, just a couple of cast members walking around playing guitars, a model bus led conga line.  However, by the end of the show, we are witnessing an exciting high-speed moped chase between the aisles.

'Summer Holiday' strikes a nice balance between nostalgia and the modern-day.  Considering the play involves a European trip and several scenes of border crossings, it remains refreshingly free of Brexit gags.  Things are updated slightly as a romantic relationship develops between two of the male cast members.  This By the end of the show, we are witnessing an exciting high-speed moped chase between the aisles.is handled with such a natural touch, no one in the play makes a big deal of it and the audience (who I think it's fair to say, skew older) barely seems to notice.  

It's been a great night of musical escapism, with catchy tunes, cheesily cheerful comedy and even a bit of audience participation.  I'm feeling in a summery mood as I step out into the car park and the lukewarm Pitlochry rain.  Oh well, you can't have everything, I mean, where would you put it?