glasgowtheatreblog.com

The Girl on the Train became a runaway best-seller around the globe, with a Hollywood movie adaptation following on its heels quickly a year later, albeit with a re-setting to New York instead of London. Binge drinking Rachel Watson passes her old house and her ex-husband and his new life (and wife and baby) every day as she commutes to work. Unlike the book and movie, the lion’s share of the action takes place in Rachel’s hovel of an apartment, it’s more The Girl in the Flat rather than The Girl on the Train but that said, the design by James Cotterill is clever enough to portray multiple locations including Megan and Scott’s and Tom and Anna’s homes, a police station, a psychiatrist’s office, the crime scene and the train itself. TV veteran Samantha Womack is Rachel, and delivers a well-measured, low-key performance, keeping it entirely within the bounds of believability in her portrayal of a woman on the brink.

From the ruthless croft clearances of the 18th century to the fashionable Victorian game hunts, and the scars left by the ‘70s North Sea oil boom right up to the political upheaval of the current day, The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black, Black Oil presents the stories and experiences of Scotland’s land, sea, and people across the centuries. 7pm Accessible Performances: 19 May – AD, CAP, Touch Tour; 20 May – BSL Tickets: £17 (16 & £10 student, £5 for Futureproof Passport holders) Box Office: nationaltheatrescotland.com / eden-court.co.uk Mareel, Lerwick – 23 May @ 7pm Tickets: £12 (£10, (£5 for Futureproof Passport holders) Box Office: nationaltheatrescotland.com / shetlandarts.org Stenness Community Centre, Orkney – 7pm Accessible Performance: 28 May – AD, CAP, Touch Tour Tickets: £12 (£10, £5 for Futureproof Passport holders) Box Office: nationaltheatrescotland.com

The music of rock legends Queen is to be celebrated like never before as West End performer Kerry Ellis joins Scandinavian tribute stars Queen Machine for a fully orchestrated UK tour. The all-new tour Queen Machine Symphonic featuring Kerry Ellis will see Queen’s greatest hits performed by leading European tribute band Queen Machine accompanied by the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra and conducted by Matthew Freeman, creating an unforgettable night of rock anthems. Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday, April 19 from www.cuffeandtaylor.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk Making their UK touring debut, Queen Machine are the go-to tribute band for the Official International Queen Fan Club and are one of the most popular bands in their native Denmark and neighbouring Scandinavian countries where they repeatedly sell out shows. Since forming in 2018, the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra have recorded for Sir Cliff Richard’s Rise Up album and performed live with the Trevor Horn Band on Trevor Horn Reimagines

Twelve months ago, Karen Gibson was travelling around London giving workshops in gospel music, when she received a phone call which was to change her life – and the lives of her closest friends, the members of The Kingdom Choir. Karen has worked around the world as a gospel choir conductor, travelling as far a-field as Japan, Nigeria and the USA. 2018 was a whirlwind year for the choir, with TV performances on shows such as Good Morning Britain and alongside Madness for the BBC1 New Year’s Eve concert, releasing their debut album Stand By Me after signing to Sony, and closing the Invictus Games in Sydney. You’re going to get a bit more of The Kingdom Choir that people have heard or seen on the TV or radio, but in a more raw state – freedom, and love, hope and inspiration, as the album says. A lot of the choir’s members have worked in schools, so we have that connection with young people – some of the choir’s members are people I taught in schools or worked with in youth choirs, so it goes back a long way.