Tiso hosts its first mini-festival

CLIMBER Leo Houlding will visit Glasgow next week for outdoor equipment store Tiso’s first mini-festival. Houlding will read from his new book, Closer To The Edge. The company is erecting tents in its car park to welcome 100 guests to the event on 26 January. Inside the tents, Tiso is placing a cinema screen, theatre…

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Panto dame hits 1,000-show milestone

PANTO dame Alan McHugh notched up his 1,000th performance last week at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen. Having started performing at the Granite City theatre in Snow White in 2004, McHugh has notched up 19 years of shows. The popular star was given a surprise presentation on stage at the end of the evening performance…

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REVIEW: “The Book of Mormon”, Theatre Royal, Glasgow

Kenny Smith enjoys The Book of Mormon at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. THE Book of Mormon is one of those shows you’ll see advertised on the Tube in London, and hear people rave about. Created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the minds behind adult cartoon smash South Park, and Frozen composer Robert Lopez, this…

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Bugsy Malone the musical opens in Edinburgh

ACCLAIMED production Bugsy Malone, based on the iconic 1976 prohibition era film, opened at The Edinburgh Playhouse last night. After a successful run of shows at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal, audiences in the Scottish capital are now being given the chance to see the world-famous musical and its cast of young performers on stage. This is…

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Scottish Book Week begins with animal vote

SCOTTISH Book Week gets underway today, with readers having until midnight to vote for their favourite animal in fiction. The chimpanzees at Edinburgh Zoo have even got in on the act, with characters including Gnasher, Paddington, and Tigger competing for the title. The winning animal will be named later this week. Marc Lambert, chief executive…

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REVIEW: “Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)”

Kenny Smith sort of reviews Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) in Glasgow. I NEVER could nor would claim to be an expert on the works of Jane Austen. To the best of my knowledge, I’ve never read Pride and Prejudice, although I do recall seeing short excerpts in television adaptations, but I do know the…

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REVIEW: “South Pacific”

Kenny Smith reviews South Pacific at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. GROWING up, my parents’ musical tastes were more Gilbert and Sullivan than Lennon and McCartney, and definitely more Rodgers and Hammerstein than Chaka Demus and Pliers. So, I’ve always had an appreciation for a good musical, especially those from the Rodgers and Hammerstein stable,…

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REVIEW: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”

Kenny Smith reviews The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. HANDS UP – I have to admit, I’ve never seen the hit film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. However, I do know about it and its basic concept, which sees an eclectic group of British retirees travel to India to embark…

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Scots Language Awards winners revealed

TIKTOK star Doric Dad and writer Liz Lochhead were among the winners at Saturday night’s Scots Language Awards. Hosted by poet Len Pennie and columnist Alistair Heather, the awards were presented at Dundee’s Gardyne Theatre. Beth Malcolm gave a special rendition of Hermless – an alternative Scottish national anthem – with Lewis and Euan McLaughlin…

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Wigtown Book Festival welcomes fiddlers

MUSICIANS from throughout Dumfries & Galloway joined members of the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra (SFO) for a concert yesterday lunchtime at Wigtown Book Festival. Beth Porter of The Bookshop Band was among the fiddlers taking part, along with her baby, Emmy Please. The SFO was co-founded by the late John Mason, who spent much of his…

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