- The cult BBC comedy series The High Life comes to Scottish stages as a brand-new musical, with Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson teaming up with writer Johnny McKnight and director Andrew Panton.
- Full cast announced, with original cast members Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart bringing their television roles to the stage joined by a cast of celebrated musical theatre performers including Louise McCarthy (Scot Squad,Wild Rose and The Scotts), Kyle Gardiner (Restless Natives and Oor Wullie) and Rachael Kendall Brown (Pretty Woman UK tour and Get Down Tonight). Full cast below.
- A first listen of the new musical was released earlier this year and can be viewed here.
- Touring Scotland in 2026, with performances in Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow
National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres present
WORLD PREMIERE
The High Life.
The Musical.
Still Living it!
Story, Script and Lyrics by Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson and Johnny McKnight
Music by Forbes Masson, additional music by Alan Cumming
Directed by Andrew Panton
Full cast – Ross Baxter, Rachael Kendall Brown, Alan Cumming, Lauren Ellis-Steele, Ciara Flynn, Kyle Gardiner, Forbes Masson, Louise McCarthy, Grant McIntyre, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart
Colin Richmond – Set & Costume Designer; Emily Jane Boyle – Choreographer and Associate Director; Sarah Travis – Musical Supervisor; Grant Anderson – Lighting Designer; Tom Penny – Sound Designer; Sarah de Tute – Musical Director; Natasha Volley – Associate Choreographer; Ross Brown – Music Technology; James Gorman – Orchestral Manager; Michael Howell – Casting Director
Touring Scotland from Friday 27 March until Saturday 23 May 2026.
World premiere at Dundee Rep Theatre then touring to Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, Eden Court, Inverness, returns to Dundee Rep Theatre and King’s Theatre, Glasgow.
Opening performance at Dundee Rep Theatre on 2 April 2026.
After a 30-year delay in the departure lounge, The High Life returns in a new musical spectacular featuring all four original cast members – Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart akaSebastian Flight, Steve McCracken, Shona Spurtle and Captain Hilary Duff.
They are joined onstage by Louise McCarthy, Kyle Gardiner, Rachael Kendall Brown, Ross Baxter, Lauren Ellis-Steele, Ciara Flynn and Grant McIntyre.
The production will tour Scotland in Spring 2026, with previews and opening performance at Dundee Rep Theatre from 27 March, then onward touring to Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, HMT Aberdeen, Eden Court Theatre, returns to Dundee Rep Theatre and King’s Theatre Glasgow until 23 May 2026.
The High Life is a creative collaboration between trailblazing, multi-award-winning artist Alan Cumming (US Traitors, X2 and Avengers: Doomsday and Cabaret on Broadway) and his long-time writing and performing partner, prolific stage and screen actor and writer Forbes Masson (Only Child, The Crown, Eastenders). The creative team is joined by celebrated writer, performer and panto-maker Johnny McKnight (Wendy Hoose, Radiant Vermin, River City) and the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Artistic Director of Dundee Rep, Andrew Panton (Make It Happen, August: Osage County, No Love Songs, A History of Paper).
Oh dearie me! Air Scotia has been sold, and unless our intrepid cabin crew can prove they’re still fit for purpose it looks like the future destination for Air Scotia is the scrap heap. In this flight for their lives, our cut-price cabin crew must get themselves (and their passengers) to their destination safely, testing their mettle and putting decades old friendships and rivalries finally to rest.
The High Life was first commissioned and broadcast by the BBC, created by and featuring Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson. It was a launchpad to its creators’ long and illustrious careers. Since airing in the 90s it has attracted cult status for its sharp wit, farcical storytelling and joyous buffoonery. Taking place in the fictional Air Scotia airline, it centres around air stewards Steve, Sebastian and Shona – the most useless cabin crew ever to push a drinks trolley while asking ‘U Fur Coffee?”.
This revival sees our iconic characters finding themselves growing older in an ever-changing world. It will feature new and original music, is stuffed full of camp silliness and is cleared for take-off.
MEET THE CABIN CREW
Siobhan Redmond reprises her TV role as the iconic Shona Spurtle on stage. Siobhan has worked extensively in theatre, film and television and is known most recently for appearances in Two Doors Down, Death in Paradise and Rain Dogs.
She is joined on board by Patrick Ryecart as the absent-minded Captain Hilary Duff. Patrick’s screen credits include The Crown, Poldark and The King’s Speech.
Joining the original cast is Louise McCarthy as Heather Argyll, Kyle Gardiner as Mylie and Rachael Kendall Brown as Kylie. Louise McCarthy is currently appearing in the Tron Theatre’s panto Gallus in Weegieland and previously was seen on Scottish stages in Wild Rose (Royal Lyceum Theatre) after featuring in the original film which inspired the stage show. She is also known to audiences from the Scottish BAFTA winning Scot Squad. She most recently worked with National Theatre of Scotland in 2022 for the musical adaptation of Peter Mullan’s Orphans, and previously appeared in My Left Right Foot, Yer Granny and Men Should Weep.
Kyle Gardiner recently appeared in Restless Natives The Musical touring Scotland and as the titular Wullie in Oor Wullie at Dundee Rep. He previously worked with National Theatre of Scotland on the Scottish tour of Moorcroft (co-produced with Tron Theatre) and The Panopticon.
Rachael Kendall Brown has just finished Get Down Tonight at the Charing Cross Theatre, where she took over the lead role of ‘Dee’, having previously understudied the role. Previous credits include the UK tour of Pretty Woman.
Completing the crew, the ensemble features Ross Baxter, Lauren Ellis-Steele, Ciara Flynn and Grant McIntyre. Ross Baxter toured Scotland earlier this year in Restless Natives The Musical, and is currently appearing in Snow White at Eden Court, Inverness.
Lauren Ellis-Steele appeared on Scottish stages in Noisemaker and A Play, a Pie and a Pint’s SCOTS, previous credits include the UK and Ireland tour of Wicked and the BBC Northern Ireland series 6Degrees. Ciara Flynn is a Scottish performer, who has toured in Girl’s Night OOT and Girl’s Night OOT 2, Mother Goose at the Ayr Gaiety and Maw Goose at Macroberts Arts Centre in Stirling.
Grant McIntyre appeared in Dundee Rep’s Oor Wullie as a performer and the associate choreographer, and in National Theatre of Scotland’s Maggie & Me. Previous credits include SCOTS and The Addams Family UK Tour.
A first listen at the musical was released earlier in the year and can be watched here. It has already amassed 276k views across National Theatre of Scotland social platforms.
