An Appointment with The Wicker Man @ Theatre Royal Glasgow

At once homage and bawdy gag fest, An Appointment with the Wicker Man aims to unite fans of the original movie with comedy fans.  Directed by the National Theatre of Scotland’s Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone, if you like to laugh, then this show is for you.

As the Loch Parry Players gather to rehearse a stage version of The Wicker Man the day before opening night, Rory Mulligan (Sean Biggerstaff) arrives.  A stand in for the leading man who’s mysteriously disappeared, Rory’s a cop from the mainland. Well, a cop on a TV show.  Ironically he’s the only one in this cast who’s actually watched the original film properly so he is properly spooked when events begin to parallel the film a little too closely for his comfort.  

From the opening scene when a policeman ‘flies’ to the island and rows ashore in a ‘boat,’ we are firmly set in the world of The Wicker Man and slap bang in am dram land.  The beauty of An Appointment is that while it takes its plot and structure from the film, it’s really a paean to all amateur dramatic societies. 

Island meets mainland as the amateurs take dramatics to new highs and lows and professionalism is a question of how much you are being paid.  But falling sets and falling in love won’t stop the show from going on. The Loch Parry Players are all united by a love of theatre that inspires them and this play is a celebration of how theatre can unite a community.

It is also a celebration of comedy.  The play, masterfully written by Greg Hemphill and Donald McLearly, milks every moment from the comedy cow.  Underpinning this production is an extreme sense of play and the word play, running gags and physical comedy are timed to perfection.  Song and dance, the cornerstone of all good productions, are not forgotten either as excellent choreography fuels some very funny musical numbers.  

There is nothing like watching actors at the top of their game act ‘badly’.  Marked by some big, bold, brave acting, each performer shone and all found the delightful truth of their characters; Sally Reid’s (Marie) seduction scene was a show stopper. 

My only criticism was that the pace didn’t let up.  I would have enjoyed some breathing space to contrast with the high speed of the production.  But it’s a small criticism as comedy is rarely this fun.