A review from 5D Music & Theatre writer Maria Robertson.
Official photos by Mihaela Bodlovic https://www.mihaelabodlovic.co.uk/
My interest in this show came from seeing that Alan McHugh was involved as I have only ever seen him as a pantomime dame. I had never heard of the movie Restless Natives, but after watching a YouTube video about why it’s the best movie you have never seen I was fully intrigued and looking forward to the performance.
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The story of Restless Natives is based back in the 80s when Margaret Thatcher was in power and working class people of Scotland were struggling to get by. Two young lads, working in a joke shop in Edinburgh, come up with a plan to hold up tourist coaches in the Highlands to get some of the cash that the tourists seem to have so much of. They go about this plan on a motorbike using masks bought from the shop, Ronnie, played by Kyle Gardiner, is a clown and Will, Finlay McKillop, is a wolf.
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Although the iconic line “I hold up buses” is probably not the most ingenious chat-up plan ever, it does work for Will when he’s trying to get the attention of Margo, Kirsty MacLaren, one of the tour guides he has met during their endeavours.
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The movie features music from Big Country and this musical stage version also uses their songs; to tell the story of the boys and their adventures as they become the Scottish equivalent of Robin Hood. Another “hero from the hills” and history of Scotland just like Robert the Bruce or Rob Roy McGregor.
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The set was very cleverly designed, it looks like a road junction. On the side of it is the cupboards at the back of the joke shop, which are used to house the props needed through performance. Suspended road signs and joke shop backdrops are swapped as necessary for the different scenes, so there’s minimal moving of furniture on the stage. Occasionally the cats eyes in the middle of the road are lit up which looks very effective as well. Unfortunately the gorgeous scenery of the Highlands which, from the movie clips I have seen, is a key player in the movie, cannot be similarly replicated on the stage. I was also disappointed there was never an actual motorbike on stage, when this had been a key part of the publicity videos in the run up to the musical coming to Aberdeen. Of course there are limits to what can be done on stage, and they did throw money at us in true Robin Hood style so that was fun! Another nice touch was that the merchandise stall also sold silly things like an actual joke shop, most tempting!
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The small cast worked very effectively to cover all the necessary characters and were great at taking us with them into imagining the buses that were being held up, all moving in union and singing merrily as was required. The relationships between the characters also go on a journey, with the two boys trying to work out what matters to them in life, and the struggle of a father with conflicting views to his daughter. It is a wonderful story and clear to see why it stole the hearts of many Scots when the movie came out all those years ago. This revival of it is well worth a watch and will leave you with that glorious heart warming feeling of a night seeing live theatre that means something.
Further information: https://www.restlessnativesthemusical.com/
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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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