Writtne by Danny McCahon

Directed by Liz Carruthers

Review by Aislinn McSharry

The King’s Theatre

Told from the perspective of the Bay City Rollers Fandom, Rollers Forever is an upbeat, energetic production, laced with the perfect dosage of nostalgia. The show is dedicated to the Scottish fans, who experienced the rise of the Rollers from national to international fame, leading up to the brink of their success in America. The female-led fandoms of the 1960s and 70s, which so often underpinned the success of contemporary boybands, are finally here glorified in all their power (and tartan!): the audience is introduced to the pioneers of “Rollermania”.

Starting at Croy train station, this jukebox musical introduces two women, Jenny and Susan, catching-up, tinnies in hand. They begin to reminisce on their teenage-days, heavily influenced by their love of Les and Woody… transported back in time, the audience experiences their growing love of the Rollers, against this ‘coming-of-age’ background.

The narrative plays with totemic, as well as Rollers specific, symbols of youth, from exhausted days at school, after attempting to get into a concert the night before, to the haphazard sewing of tartan into their clothing. Alongside this, the audiences sees the blossoming of the relationship between Jenny and Susan’s brother, a Karate-learning, Sean Connery-worshipping figure, hilariously portrayed by Liam Harkins.

At early stages the plot teetered on the side of aimless, with limited integration of the songs, but the narrative strongly emerged with the character’s aspirations to meet the Rollers themselves. In a last-ditch effort before the Rollers were rumoured to go to America, the girls make a great escapade to Edinburgh, which becomes the site of aptly silly strife, love, and devastated realisations that the Rollers have already left on their journey to international fame.

An enthusiastic pairing, the lead actors Fiona Wood (Jenny) and Chiara Sparkes (Susan) were energetic and engaging, and the performances of all ensemble members enthralled.

Karen Tennant’s Set Design was a patchwork of domestic spaces and local train stations, as well as the Rollers’ on-stage set and aesthetic, constantly linking the band to their fans at home.

The show’s most important takeaway, however, has to be the impact on the audience: heads bobbled throughout musical numbers, quickly developing to arms swaying during Bye Bye Baby, and at the very end, the audience was up on their feet, tartan scarves thrown about joyfully. In a musical where the fans were prioritised, it was very enjoyable to see this sentiment reflected in the audience.

Rollers Forever is certainly a crowd-pleaser and a very fun jukebox musical to add to the collection – undoubtedly an enjoyable night at the theatre.

---