Review: THE HIGH LIFE, King's Theatre
The High Life runs at the King's Theatre Glasgow until 23 May
The High Life The Musical is a co-production between The National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres.
30 years after it last aired, the beloved Scottish sitcom returns as a fully staged musical with original cast Alan Cumming as Sebastian Flight, Forbes Masson as Steve McCracken, Siobhan Redmond as Shona Spurtle and Patrick Ryecart as Captain Hilary Duff. The High Life The Musical is written by Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson and Johnny McKnight and directed by Andrew Panton.
Based in Prestwick airport, it feels as though Air Scotia, Scotland’s best (and only) airline, has failed to move with the times. Now in their 60s, Steve and Sebastian lament about how things used to be back in the glory days. After hearing the news that there’s an undercover buyer on their next and potentially final flight, they fear that the airline will be bought over by a British company and de-Scottifed.
Pantomime has clearly served as a huge inspiration to the format of The High Life- there’s even a cloot! Seeing as this is an area where Scotland excels and one of the country's top panto writers (McKnight) is involved, it makes sense to lean into it. There’s topical gags aplenty, a sing-along, and a little bit of audience participation, which goes down a treat.
While nostalgia is a big part of the show for fans of the original series, it’s completely accessible to those unfamiliar with the 90s programme. This is a fresh, fun new story with loads of nods to iconic lines and catchphrases.
The returning cast are magnificent, and the newer characters slot in beautifully. The always wonderful Louise McCarthy is a welcome addition as Heather Argyll, bringing big laughs to proceedings. Kyle Gardiner has great versatility as Mylie and Rachael Kendall Brown brings sweetness and powerhouse vocals as Kylie.
One thing that The High Life really excels at is showcasing the wealth of Scottish talent that we have with their ensemble. Rarely ever offstage and providing huge amounts of energy throughout are well kent faces in the industry: Ross Baxter, Ciara Flynn, Lauren Ellis-Steele and Grant McIntyre.
The High Life is a perfect example of big-scale theatre that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it will appeal to fans of the series, fans of musicals and people who just enjoy a riotous night at the theatre.
Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
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