Theatre
Lauder
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Keith Bruce
****
BEFORE he moved, like Sir Harry Lauder himself, down to the Clyde estuary, I interviewed Jimmy Logan at his substantial home in Pollokshields, and was shown some of his collection of Lauder memorabilia, including the great man’s piano. However, unlike Jamie MacDougall, who has revived this show with director Kally Lloyd-Jones for the 150th birthday celebrations of Glasgow’s Theatre Royal, I did not see Logan perform his one-man musical about the first knight of the variety stage.
It will be no surprise if this production long outlives the anniversary for which it has been created, although its focus on the years up to and around the First World War make it especially timely right now. Logan’s narrative is far from perfect – it fails to adequately explain Lauder’s early success for example, and doesn’t cover his later years at all – but it does give a real sense of the ingredients of the Lauder phenomenon, with entire comic routines as well as those perennially popular songs, and crucially includes plenty of singalong opportunities.
What it does best is to contextualise the music. I Love a Lassie, The Tangle O’ The Isles, and Roamin’ in the Gloamin’ emerge enhanced from the experience of seeing them placed in the narrative of the life of Scotland’s global superstar, and the love of performing that made him – and Logan – special is clearly in MacDougall’s genes as well, while the tenor undoubtedly has a better voice than either of them.
After his excellent performance of the Vaughan Williams song cycle On Wenlock Edge with the Maxwell Quartet at Milngavie Music Club’s 75th anniversary celebrations a few weeks ago, it was suggested to me that Jamie MacDougall sells himself short with his more populist repertoire of Scots songs. On the contrary I’d suggest that it is a rare talent that is adaptable enough to do both to such a high standard.
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