Contributed by Edie McDippel
Webmaster of www.sirharrylauder.com

The time, the first theatrical season of the new millennium.

The place, the Pitlochry Festival Theatre, the dream of one man, John Stewart which began in a tent nestled in the hills of Perthshire, the gateway to the Scottish Highlands, amid towering Scottish fir trees, planted in the early seventeen hundreds by the Duke of Atholl.

The Pitlochry Festival Theatre in now a crown jewel of Scottish Theatres.

The musical is a new production of "Lauder" retitled "The Golden Years" written by its star, Jimmy Logan O.B.E., singer, actor, author and playwrite, who at the ripe old age of eleven appeared with his sister on the same stage as Sir Harry Lauder.

He is quoted as saying "At rehearsals I watched every move Sir Harry made and that memory inspired me to write this musical".

The original production began nearly three decades ago with a Royal Performance at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, followed by a successful tour in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Later revived for the Edinburgh International Festival and judged "Outstanding" by critics.

The musical tells the story of Harry Lauder's life with its triumphs and tragedies. When the house lights fade into darkness, the Overture drifts away, the curtain opens, Jimmy Logan begins to weave his magic and transports you to the "Valhalla Hippodrome" for a Monday morning rehearsal at the turn of the twentieth century.

The lighting is one harsh bulb but as the orchestra rehearses, an imaginary act, the lighting changes as the rich red walls and a golden surround come to life.

Harry Lauder's rehearsal is interrupted by a local newspaper reporter. Through the songs of his rehearsal, Harry Lauder will tell his life story, from the Valhalla Hippodrome, to a Band of Hope concert, you will be part of the audience at a theatre revue in London.

You will accompany him behind enemy lines during World War One for a troop concert, and on to an American Music Hall in Detroit, Michigan. You are there the night he received word that he is to be knighted by his King - not for entertaining, but for services to his county, which he richly deserved.

Be with him, next, in Usher Hall on the day he received the Freedom of Edinburgh award. You laugh with him, love with him and, yes, you cry with him when he sings "I Wish You Were Here Again" dedicated to all the parents like him who lost a child, his only child during the Great War.

It is a memorable trip with the wee Scot who was a giant when he stepped onto the world stage.

The brand new presentation at Pitlochry Festival Theatre is one of the principal productions of the 2000 AD summer and fall season at this famous Scottish theatre in the Highland hills.

To quote Mr. Logan, "It's the story of a man's life. The fact that he sang for a living is your bonus."

So my friends, make your plans early, go to the attic, dust off your luggage and reserve your tickets. Let Jimmy Logan wrap you in the warmth of magic, the magic of the Knight.

Contributed by Edie McDippel, Webmaster, www.sirharrylauder.com

Special Note: The Portabello Community Council is proposing to raise funds for a statue of Sir Harry Lauder. If you want to know more about the proposed statue or make a donation to the fund, contact:

Mrs. Patricia Ralph
May Rise
13 Duddingston Ave
Edinburgh, EH 15 1SJ.
Scotland, UK
Tel No. 0131 669 7578

Or send an E-Mail to the Sir Harry Lauder Statue Fund

Images by permission of the Scottish Theatre Archives Special Collections, Glasgow University Library.

Other images provided by Sam Henderson and Edie McDipple

Links:

Jimmy Logan Famous Scot

Sir Harry Lauder Famous Scot

The Pitlorchy Theatre

Edie Dippel's website www.sirharrylauder.com

Where's Sir Harry's Statue?

A Statue for Harry?

Scottish Theatre Archives