The High Life
★★★★★ Flying
Festival Theatre: Tue 7 – Sat 11 Apr 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Reviving a 30-year-old sitcom as a stage musical might seem a safe bet, or an exercise in nostalgia. This is far from the case with The High Life. The touring production is vibrant, joyous and utterly hilarious.
Forbes Masson and Alan Cumming’s mid-90s sitcom featured Air Scotia cabin crew Steve McCracken and Sebastian Flight, who were essentially a reworking of their celebrated earlier cabaret turn: Victor and Barry.
The duo return for the stage version, set 30 years later, with Scotland’s premiere airline in danger of a hostile takeover and a rebrand. Not that the plot is necessarily the main concern here.
Grant McIntyre, Forbes Masson and Alan Cumming. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
The programme only ran for one series, but has something of a cult following. And for those fans who will want to know, not only do they say those things that you expect and sing those songs that you want them to; but there there are also plenty of callbacks to the original, not least in the (filmed) appearance of Ann Scott-Jones as Gretchen Betjeman.
But there is plenty that is new, something signalled in the way the passing of time is addressed head on right from the start. This is no lame retread, but has a real life of its own in this National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep production, in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres.
this is essentially a pantomime.
The title sometimes appears as The High Life. The Musical, Still Living It! And there are certainly enough songs, with lyrics by Cumming, Masson and Johnny McKnight, music by Masson (additional music by Cumming), to call it a musical. But the involvement of McKnight, who also writes the book with Masson and Cumming, hints at its real nature.
McKnight is now Scottish panto royalty, of course, and this is essentially a pantomime. There’s constant breaking of the fourth wall, topical and local humour, references to the cast’s other work, community singing (with a genuine ‘bring doon the cloot’) and enough music hall vitality to sink a battleship.
Alan Cumming, Kyle Gardiner and Forbes Masson. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Andrew Panton’s direction is ludicrously energetic, with Emily Jane Boyle’s choreography also first class. From the moment the central twosome make their grand entrance, and they and the excellent ensemble fly through a pleasingly extended version of the programme’s theme tune, this is almost indecently enjoyable.
The television version’s humour seemed to trade, like John Byrne sometimes did, on the fact that bosses in London didn’t understand some of the language, and accordingly slipped in some near-the-knuckle references. If you were worried that they would shy away from that now, rest assured that some of it is absolutely filthy.
sheer ridiculous joy
It’s all also very funny; you probably won’t laugh as much at anything this year. There are a couple of gags in particular that really should be repeated, but I have no intention of spoiling them for you.
Masson and Cumming are in their element, with marvellous timing and expert working of the audience. For performers to be obviously having tremendous fun doesn’t necessarily translate to audience enjoyment, but they are utterly in command of the situation, and it is impossible not to be swept along by the sheer ridiculous joy of it all.
Siobhan Redmond (centre) with Ciara Flynn, Ross Baxter, Rachael Kendall Brown, Grant McIntyre, Lauren Ellis Steele and Kyle Gardiner. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
As in the series, they are given ideal support by Siobhan Redmond as forbidding chief flight attendant Shona Spurtle and Patrick Ryecart as the outlandishly eccentric Captain Duff.
To have two such accomplished performers means that what could be throwaway comedy turns are given considerably more weight. There is a poise and consideration to everything Ryecart does; Redmond, after an entrance any panto baddie would be proud of, gives the character considerable complexity.
simply brilliant
The other members of the cast also benefit from the tweaks to the format, with sharing out of stage time and subtle modernisation of attitudes. Rachael Kendall Brown’s Kylie is very funny, while Kyle Gardner’s character starts off as the stereotypical panto daft laddie but then becomes something else. And then there’s Louise McCarthy, who is simply brilliant as the mysterious Heather.
Colin Richmond’s set is just distracting enough without overpowering, while Grant Anderson’s lighting is sometimes suitably garish, sometimes oddly evocative. Tom Penny’s sound design works well in tandem with the onstage band led by Sarah de Tute.
Alan Cumming, Louise McCarthy and Forbes Masson. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
There’s some interesting stuff here about the nature of ageing and the dangers of nostalgia, even if it is camouflaged by the general riot of humour. Maybe the production is a little lop-sided, with the second half too long.
But anything can be forgiven when that second act opens with a nod to those underwater ballets, complete with fluorescent lighting, that you still get in December at the Church Hill, but which, sadly, professional pantomimes now steer clear of.
Whether you consider The High Life to be pantomime or a piece of musical theatre is irrelevant. It is quite simply as much fun as you could possibly want.
Running time: Two hours and 45 minutes (including one interval)
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicholson Street, EH8 9FT
Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 April 2026
Daily at 7.30 pm; Matinees Thurs, Sat at 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
The High Life on tour:
His Majesty’s Aberdeen, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen AB25 1GL
Tue 14 – Sat 18 April 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm; Mats Thur: 2pm & Sat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Eden Court, Bishops Road, Inverness, IV3 5SA
Wed 29 April – Sat 2 May 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm, Mats Thurs, Sat: 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Dundee Rep, Tay Square, Dundee DD1 1PB
Wed 6 – Sat 9 May
Evenings: 7.30pm, Mats Thurs, Sat: 2.30 pm
Tickets and details: Sold out.
Glasgow King’s, 297 Bath St, Glasgow G2 4JN
Tue 12 – Sat 23 May 2026
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Mats Wed, Sat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Rachael Kendall Brown. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
ENDS
