Happy Birthday Andy!

Sep 14 2021 | By More

Grand Old Lady glows purple in birthday tribute

The King’s Theatre glowed purple on Monday night, thanks to the work of the Capital Theatres tech team, who created their own tribute to the late, great Andy Gray.

Monday – the 13th of September – would have been Andy’s 62nd birthday and the tech team ensured that everyone passing the Grand Old Lady of Leven street would remember the actor, who tragically died of Covid in January of this year.

The King’s glows purple in tribute to Andy Gray as the Batman searchlight catches the falling rain in its path. Pic: Peter Dibdin

The team added a couple of bat symbols to the  display, in tribute to Andy’s great love of everything Batman.

A static image shone out through the ticket office window, while a moving beam on the canopy roof shone onto the surrounding buildings, as if guiding the star back home.

The display was so effective that one passing jogger stopped to enquire if a Batman show would be coming to the King’s soon? “Obviously a man with good taste,” he said, on learning of the real reason.

The King’s glows purple in tribute to Andy Gray. Cars ghost past, but his memory will endure. Pic: Peter Dibdin

The purple glow was in recognition of Andy’s famous ‘purple pinky’ – his own tribute to his mother who always had the little fingernail on her left hand painted purple, her favourite colour.

Andy Gray made his name in television alongside Gerard Kelly in BBC Scotland’s Naked Video and in 2016 won a whole swathe of new fans when he joined the cast of River City.

But it was on the stage that he earned his greatest plaudits and with his easy way with the comedy, became an enduring part of the Scottish theatre landscape for almost thirty years.

He had serious acting chops as well, as his awards attest. But it was when he was on the stage making people laugh that we loved most.

Happy Birthday Andy. You live on in our memories.

All Edinburgh Theatre’s tribute to Andy is here: Remembering Andy Gray.

News and reviews of shows he was in are here: Tag: “Andy Gray”.

ENDS

 

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