1943: the curse of rationing has visited the remote Hebridean islands of Little Todday and Great Todday and the thirsty islanders have all but run out of uisge beatha - the water of life. Read more …
And it’s not just the whisky drought causing problems, either. Good Catholic girl Peggy Macroon has fallen for one of the soldiers stationed on the islands, Sergeant Odd, who’s not just English, but Protestant to boot! Catriona MacLeod is having trouble prising meek schoolmaster George Campbell away from his Wee Free dragon of a mother. And the dragon herself seems too much in sympathy with the army authorities for some people's liking . .
When the S.S. Cabinet Minister runs aground with fifty thousand cases of whisky aboard, the islanders rush to take advantage of the unexpected bounty. But then the officious Captain Waggett, the English commander of the Home Guard, learns of the illicit salvage operation – and is ordered to confiscate the liquor!
As a 60th Anniversary treat, we've chosen to revive the most popular show in PFT's history as our first ever Autumn repertory production. With a score that conjures up both the 1940s and the unmistakable sounds of the Western Isles, performed by a highly talented cast of actor-musicians, this critically acclaimed and universally loved 2009 production went on to become the best selling show in our 60 year history!
Back by popular demand, Whisky Galore – A Musical! promises to be the perfect Autumn treat.
Newcomers to the cast make an impressive contribution - Lila Clements and Lindsay Ashworth belt out their songs with great gusto, and there is not a weak link musically. It’s a great team effort.
Along with the story’s multiple happy endings, it sends you home with a feelgood spring in your step.
A show that is mainly just a jolly entertainment, but that also represents a sharp comic portrait of British society, with all its faultlines of class, culture, language, and faith, from an age when today’s explicit multiculturalism was just a distant dream.
Whisky Galore: Pitlochry's autumn nip
Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry from Friday October 21, 2011, until Saturday November 12, 2011. More info: www.pitlochry.org.uk