The show
must go on

There’s no doubt that all generations of cast and crew who have trodden the boards at His Majesty’s Theatre will recall the gruelling schedule, the intensity and the sheer excitement of being part of what is simply called ‘Show’ by those who know it best.  

Wry Doric wit is among its best-known hallmarks, and Laura Main, famed for her role in the BBC drama Call The Midwife, recalls her experiences of starring in performances such as The Good, The Bad and the Buttery and From Rubislaw With Love with affection.  

At the heart of Show’s longevity is the professionalism of cast and crew members, whose commitment results in entire days given up to rehearsal, up to and including the Easter holidays.  The results of their hard work and dedication are seen in sell-out performances every year, making Show among the most enduring of University institutions.

Originally conceived as a fundraising exercise for RAG week, the first Show took place in the Debater in Marischal College, taking the form of a mock trial – a common form of entertainment at the time.

This led to the first proper scripted musical comedy – 1922’s Stella the Bajanella – written by student Eric Linklater, who was to become a celebrated Carnegie-medal-winning author.  In 1945 he returned to the University as Rector and provided the script for 1946’s To Meet the MacGregors.

Show moved to His Majesty’s Theatre in 1929, which has been its home ever since save for a few occasions when the famous city venue has been closed for refurbishment.

While the format may have moved between single story musical comedy and sketch-based revue, what hasn’t changed is the intensity of the so-called ‘student show bubble’ experienced by cast and crew during the weeks of rehearsal leading up to performance week.  

“It’s a bonding experience,” says Becky Hossick, one of the stars of 2019’s The Glaikit Showman.  

“You get to know everyone really closely. Student show is like nothing else. I've never been part of something where you genuinely just love everyone, even if you don't have a lot of things in common.”  

Fellow cast member Amy Lamb agrees: “The friendships that you make over the five-week period are like no other relationships you've ever made.”

The bonds forged during Show have endured for lifetimes, most famously among the members of renowned entertainment outfit Scotland the What? who first met and worked together during Show in the 1950s.  

It was after the four wrote, composed and directed the 1968 Show Running Riot that they decided to stage their own act at the Edinburgh Festival starring Buff Hardie, Steve Robertson and George Donald, with Jimmy Logan directing. 

This marked  the start of a nationally acclaimed comedy partnership that lasted for decades and saw the members awarded the Freedom of the City of Aberdeen in 2007 for "their services to the Fine Arts, the Doric language and North East of Scotland culture; promotion of the City and, above all, for makin' a'body laugh."

Many lifelong romances have also blossomed from Show, and a long list of marriages were forged on set.  “I always used to joke that the student show was the biggest matrimonial agency in town,” said Sheila Sinclair, a member of the dancing chorus in Buff Hardie’s first Show, 1951’s Spring in Your Step.  

“Many a person met their 'fate' in the student show, and I met mine,” she added – a reference to her late husband, George Sinclair, who worked on Show for many decades as Stage Manager.  

Sheila herself worked as Wardrobe Mistress in 1955, and the couple’s daughters Julie and Susan featured in Show in the 1980s. “It's been a large part of our lives, and a happy part,” she said.  “I have very fond memories.” 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Show “Freezin” will now take place in 2021. Keep an eye on our alumni e-newsletter Voic:E for news of a range of centenary celebrations. More articles on the history of Show and other interesting features can be found on the ‘News’ section of our Alumni Relations pages.

Spirit of Show