Perth Theatre
Four stars
It was sixty years ago last week, or thereabouts, when the Beatles embarked on a brief Scottish tour. Beatlemania may have already been at fever pitch, but rather than stay in swanky big city hotels, the loveable mop tops set up camp in two chalets on the banks of Loch Earn in Perthshire. This historical pop moment concerning the original boy band may be the backdrop to Gabriel Quigley’s new play, but it is another fab four she focuses on. The John, Paul, George and Ringo camped out on the other side of the loch are a gang of teenage girls so hopelessly devoted they have taken the names of their idols and braved the elements in their groovy gear in the hope of getting a long range glimpse of them.
With all four members of the gang considering options beyond this last gasp adventure before they go out into the world, this pilgrimage looks set to be a defining moment for them all in a rites of passage saga that takes in some very serious stuff indeed. The new freedoms the 1960s opened up are already making their presence felt in the shape of abstract art and the copy of Aldous Huxley’s The Doors of Perception.
Some of the less savoury social anxieties that prevented many young women from pursuing their dreams are also in evidence, with Tinashe Warikandwa’s John especially forced to consider what’s next. While Yana Harris’ Ringo reveals the struggles of coming from Traveller roots, class also rears its head by way of the unexpected appearance of a young lady of the manor the other girls somewhat magnificently name Brian.
Warikandwa, Harris, Leah Byrne as Paul, Rosie Graham as George, and Eléna Redmond as Brian all grab hold of Quigley’s intelligent script with sparky relish on Kenny Miller’s big pink moon dominated set. As the girls go their separate ways en route to the future, one wonders where these bright young women ended up next.
The Herald, October 26th 2024
Ends
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