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A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
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This musical is inspired by, and features, the songs of popular Scottish band Runrig. This year is the band’s 50 year anniversary and most of us growing up in Scotland have listened to their music through the years and so it could be seen as a safe bet that this musical would be well received. Last year, when it first hit the stage, it won the CATS Award 2022 for Best Music and Sound.
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The staging for this production is very cleverly done. There’s a raised wooden platform in the middle of the stage which is sometimes a hill, sometimes a grave side, sometimes the upper part of a pub, and often a stage for the singers to perform from. At the sides of this circular platform, at the back of the main stage are the actual musicians who are playing the songs. These musicians are also included in the cast and occasionally take supporting roles. For example, the barman is also the accordion player. At some points the accordion pops out from behind the bar and he gives us a tune as part of the next song. It’s very well done so that the musicians are part of the performance, I especially liked when the drummer came out to the front of the stage and played the spoons.
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There’s a great cast, maybe not famous names to the normal person, but all very experienced thespians and many of them have marvellous voices for when the next musical number comes up. The songs were re arranged by Calum and Rory Macdonald of Runrig to work in the musical.
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The story revolves around a family who have had a traumatic experience with their young daughter Fiona (Caitlin Forbes) and want to protect her so take her back to their birth place in the Highlands of Scotland, where life is much more simple. However life there has changed and the village community where Euan (Ali Watt) and Annie (Jenny Hulse) grew up is under threat from developers, and tourists with hot tubs. Annie gets involved in a project to try and save the local pub, which they see as the heart of their community. For the first time she finds herself feeling passionate and inspired about something, instead of just being Euan’s wife and Fiona’s mother. She is a a woman, in her own right, with her own hopes and dreams; which she had put aside after getting pregnant when she was only 16.
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There are a lot of relationship traumas in this story and it’s interesting to see how the community is interlinked and effected by outside forces. There’s a splattering of Gaelic through the songs and dialogue, not enough for non speakers to miss out on the story, but enough to please those of us who understand it. So unusual to hear our native language on the stage. Meanwhile the music and songs are obviously fantastic, who doesn’t love a good Runrig song?! At the curtain they play Loch Lomond, I’m not spoiling anything as its listed in the programme. We were all up, stamping our feet, clapping along and singing at the top of our voices. What an awesome feeling at the end of an awesome evening, try not to miss this one!
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Further information and tickets for the rest of the week: https://www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/whats-on/the-stamping-ground/
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Maria Robertson is the Chief Music & Theatre Writer for the 5D Pop Culture Website and provides reviews & coverage of local Aberdeen music & theatre gigs. She’s an experienced writer for numerous sources and is a self-confessed live gig addict ever since seeing The Counting Crows at the Barrowlands in 1994.
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