Writer: Danny McCahon
Director: Liz Carruthers
Designer: Karen Tennent
Billed as a joyful celebration of music, fandom and friendship, new musical Rollers Forever debuts on the 50th anniversary of the tartan clad superstars The Bay City Rollers first number one hit.
What is apparent from this production is that while The Rollers heyday may have been over for many decades, the enduring love of their fans and the appetite for these tunes remains undiminished.
Pals Jenny (Dani Heron) and Susan (Chiara Sparkes) meet up in the present day for a night out away from their responsibilities. The talk and the action soon turns to happier, more carefree times, when the teenage pair’s lives revolved around their unbridled love for the Edinburgh quintet and their quest to meet the band and fulfil their fantasies about marrying their idols.
The script is awash with references to life in 1970s Scotland: dinners of Crispy Pancakes and Vesta curries, Blue Nun wine and “classy” cherries, running to the telephone box to call your pal to discuss the latest Top of the Pops, buying the latest fashions from a catalogue and paying them up week-by-week. The nostalgia is dialled up to eleven and the audience, packed with Rollers fans, are laughing at every familiar reference. The scenes with the pair pouring over the object of their obsession’s favourite movies and food has resonance with teen fans to this day.
The cast can’t be faulted, either for their musical talent or their ability to deliver a punchline. In particular Dani Heron gets to display her considerable comedy chops as the Les McKeown obsessed, highly likeable Jenny and Pavilion favourite Liam Harkins provides plenty of laughs as the yellow, Bruce Lee track-suited, Kung Fu kicking brother of best pal Susan.
The on-stage band are small but perfectly formed and as the first chords of each tune sparks up, the good-natured crowd are singing and mouthing every word.
Where the whole endeavour falls short is the lack of cohesion in the script and the baffling shoe-horning in of the tunes. With titles such as Saturday Night, Summerlove Sensation, Bye Bye Baby and I Only Want to be With You, to name a few, a bit more time and consideration could have woven the tunes in with even more impact.
There’s always a market for nostalgia and the enthusiasm and undeniable love of the fan-filled crowd for the music of these five ordinary boys from Edinburgh, who, astonishingly became one of the biggest selling bands of all time, means that Rollers Forever has a guaranteed audience who will love this warm-hearted, feel-good piece of fun.
Runs until 30 August 2025 | Image: Wattie Cheung
