Comic gives PFT thumbs up
Alec Drummond from the box office (left) with Russ Abbot (right) TV comic Russ Abbot dropped into Pitlochry Festival Theatre hoping to see one of the performances and left encouraging the public to vote for the theatre to get an award for giving visitors a fine welcome.
The star of stage and screen was on holiday and fancied seeing one of the six shows currently playing in rep.
Best-known for his 1980s TV comedy show, The Russ Abbot Show, as well as appearing in Last of the Summer Wine, September Song, Casualty, Hotel Babylon and The Sarah Jane Adventures, his long career also saw him headlining in London’s West End.
Russ also took the role of the Tin Man in The Wizard Of Oz, but when asked about his availability for Pitlochry’s festive musical spectacular in December, he explained he’s retired. The comedian had popped in while on a one-day visit to Perthshire, hoping to see the opening of The Last Witch, but unfortunately arrived a day early and the show was in dress rehearsal.
But, so he’d not be disappointed, staff let him slip into the back of the auditorium and capture some of the atmosphere of the story about the last woman to be legally executed for being a witch.
Later he posed with Alec Drummond from the box office, for a photo encouraging people to vote for PFT in the up-coming UK Theatre awards for most welcoming theatre 2018.
“We’ve won the Scotland title for the last three years, so it was wonderful to have his support for this fourth run,”said Alec .