The Ruling Class

Peter Barnes’s anarchic comedy first appeared in 1968, the year of the summer of love, and of student revolutions across the western world; and now it offers a brilliant climax to a Pitlochry season much preoccupied with the British class system. Immortalised in the 1972 film starring Peter O’toole, the play imagines what happens when the 13th Earl of Gurney dies in a “cross-dressing incident”, passing his title to his son Jack, a paranoid schizophrenic who believes he is Jesus. Pitlochry boss John Durnin directs, and Jack Wharrier stars, in what could be one of the wildest shows seen at Pitlochry for a while. ■ In repertoire at Pitlochry Festival Theatre until 14 October, 01796 484626

Joyce Mcmillan