Welcome to the fabulous Glasvegas is a musical which originally debut in 1977 from the pen of legendary film composer Patrick Doyle. 3 Bugs Fringe Theatre Company have brought more or less a direct remount of the original to the Fringe.
The play revolves around the lives of the handsome Mick McMolicate and his gang of doting followers, whose master plan is to act like gangsters, overcome authority, put together a rock band and live a life of fame and fortune. The show is filled with catchy 50s and 60s inspired rock and roll tunes which are hummable but also forgettable.The cast execute the show well. However, for a running time of 1 hour 15 minutes, the show feels slightly overlong; this might be due to the style of the directing. Glasvegas is similar to the more successful John Byrne Classic ‘Tutti Frutti’. Tutti was written for TV ten years after Glasvegas and was only brought to the stage in 2007 by the National Theatre of Scotland.To me it feels as though the director has been inspired by Tutti Frutti and allowed that to influence the style of the show. This works to a degree, getting the audience on side and leading to a fun night’s musical theatre production. It doesn't, however, stop audience members who are aware of the other similar show from drawing comparisons. With a little more work stylistically to make it its own thing and with a slightly shorter run time, this could be a returning production to next year's Fringe.
