The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Nashville Live
Dundee Rep, June 9; Webster Theatre, Arbroath, June 10
Dundee Rep and the Webster Theatre in Arbroath become the closest things to the spiritual home of country music this side of Tennessee for one night only when Nashville Live comes to town next month.
For almost 100 years the Grand Ole Opry has broadcast country music favourites from Nashville every Saturday night. All the major stars have appeared on the programme, which was originally called the WSM Barn Dance, and while Nashville Live doesn’t claim to be an exact copy, it’s designed to make the audience feel as though they’re at a live radio performance.
It’s quite a star-studded show, too – at least in intention – as the cast presents songs associated with country music greats including Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.
Although he’s only been working in theatre for two or three years, musical director Luke Thomas has a strong background in country music, having toured in country bands for some 15 years before putting Nashville Live together. You could say the music is in his blood, as his parents had a show called Country Legends that toured the UK for many years. This was at a time when country music wasn’t nearly as cool as it has become with the advent of the very popular Country to Country festival and TV programme Nashville.
“Those two together have brought a new, younger audience and it’s helped everyone because there’s now this much bigger fan base,” says Luke, who was voted British Country Music Association Musician of the Year in 2017. “I’m a country promoter as well and I play in four or five different touring artist’s bands and we’ve noticed the potential to sell tickets has increased hugely over the past few years.”
As knowledgeable about country music as he is, Luke was still gobsmacked to discover he wasn’t listening to a recording of Johnny Cash when he first heard Edinburgh-born Robbie Durham, who plays Cash, Hank Williams and Kenny Rodgers.
“Robbie played Johnny Cash in Million Dollar Quartet and he is amazing,” says Luke. “We’ve got some really good people. Lisa Wright was in Sunny Afternoon but is a country artist in her own right and Helena Gullen originally came in as a fiddle player but turned out to be a great singer as well.”
The show covers country music history, from early bluegrass up to Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks and Garth Brooks. “We don’t get much more modern than these artists, though,” says Luke. “We mix it up but we want it to feel like the Grand Ole Opry used to be. Today’s country music can be quite different to the older stuff. This way, it feels more authentic.”