Written by Danny McCahon

Directed by Liz Carruthers

Musical Direction by Dale Parker

Review by Dominic Corr

There’s no denying the enduring power of Rollermania. You just need to look around at the crowd descending onto the Glasgow Pavilion: tartan scarves, foot-stomping choruses, the unmistakable euphoria of a crowd belting out “Shang-a-Lang” like it’s 1975 all over again. God forbid. Rollers Forever, a new jukebox musical celebrating the Bay City Rollers, knows this well, and leans into it with gusto. But while the music still sparkles and conjures a good night out, the show itself struggles to justify its existence beyond nostalgia.

Written by Danny McCahon and directed by Liz Carruthers, the production follows Jenny and Susa – played with admirable energy by two of Scotland’s finest performers, Dani Heron and Chiara Sparkes, as they reunite and reminisce about their teenage obsession with the Rollers. The story flashes back to their youth in Lanarkshire, where dreams of meeting Les McKeown and Stuart “Woody” Wood fuel a series of tartan-trimmed escapades. It’s a premise ripe for heart and humour, but the script never quite delivers either; or unfortunately seems to follow similar threads to Greatest Days, just with more Blue Nun.

Despite the cast’s best effort, including Liam Harkins as Susan’s Bruce Lee-obsessed brother Alec and Brian James O’Sullivan in a carousel of comic cameos. The dialogue is record-player thin, and the plot hardly registers. Scenes feel stitched together to serve the next song cue, and while the hits are undeniably catchy, their repetition begins to feel like filler. Even the new title track, co-written by Wood and John McLaughlin, lands with more sentiment than substance.

Pumping in some flair, Karen Tennent’s set design injects visual colour, with nods to 1970s Scotland, phone boxes, catalogues, and transistor radios. But it’s not enough to mask the structural weaknesses. Dale Parker’s musical direction ensures the band sounds tight, and the cast’s vocals are strong across the board, but the show’s emotional arc is underdeveloped, leaving little to invest in beyond the soundtrack.

There’s tremendous Scottish talent on display here, and the ensemble’s enthusiasm is infectious. With the likes of Rachel Campbell, Joe Gill, Alex Dargie, and Lauren MacDonald all bring charm and commitment to the stage. But Rollers Forever feels like a missed opportunity; it’s a show that banks on affection for the band without offering a compelling theatrical experience in its own right. For die-hard fans, the music may be enough. But for the rest of us, the show lacks the dramatic weight, narrative clarity, and creative ambition to truly sing. It’s a tribute, yes, but one that never quite earns its place in the spotlight.

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