CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF
His Majesty’s theatre, Aberdeen, Mon-Sat (01224 641 122)
Nottingham Playhouse production of Tennessee Williams’s Pulitzer prize-winning drama about an affluent southerner, and his dysfunctional family who gather at his home for his 65th birthday.
Advertisement
RIKKI AND ME
King’s theatre, Glasgow, Mon-Sat (0870 060 6648)
Tony Roper and Gerard Kelly pay tribute to the comedy icon Rikki Fulton, who died two years ago, in this new show that revisits his most famous routines including Francie and Josie, the Rev IM Jolly, Supercop and Dirty Dickie Dandruff.
STEPTOE AND SON
Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Mon-Sat (0870 060 6647)
The hit West End play based on the classic British television comedy series. Set some time in a future when Albert is long dead — murdered by Harold — and Harold has run off to South America, the action begins when Harold slips back into the country only to discover the ghost of Albert waiting to exact his revenge.
Advertisement
STARS
Citizens theatre, Glasgow, Tue-Sat (0141 429 0022)
A poignant tale that deals with the loss of innocence as four young lives are steered on an alternative course after one unforgettable night. Written by Anja Hilling and performed by Nutshell theatre who impressed last year at the Citizens with the Dublin playwright Mark O’Rowe’s Crestfall.
Advertisement
THE LIFE OF US
Citizens theatre, Glasgow, Tue-Sat (0141 429 0022)
Inspired by Robert Tressell’s Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, The Life of Us examines the harsh working conditions of the early 20th century in comparison with the water cooler and coffee machine luxury of today.
Advertisement
CLOSER
Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, Fri & Sat (01224 642 230)
Patrick Marber’s tale of passion, desire, jealousy and the intertwining fates of four lovelorn strangers, performed by Vinyl Theatre.
YOURS TRULY JACK THE RIPPER
East Kilbride Arts Centre, East Kilbride, Fri (01355 261 000)
Isosceles Theatre presents this alternative account of the infamous London murders told through the eyes of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police and based on actual witness accounts of the gruesome killings.
LOSING LOUIS
Byre theatre, St Andrews, Fri-Sep 16 (01334 475 000)
Borderline theatre present Simon Mendes Da Costa’s play about a family whose secrets catch up with them at the funeral of their father.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Dundee Rep, Dundee, until Sep 16 (01382 223 530)
Directed by Dominic Hill, the ensemble revive Shakespeare’s fantastical comedy, the first ever show produced by the company seven years ago.
GREEN ON RED
King Tut’s, Glasgow, Mon (0141 204 5151)
Cult American rock band who were part of the mid-1980s Paisley underground scene of Los Angeles, California. The band reformed in 2005 and features most of the original line-up including the lead vocalist Dan Stuart.
ROCKIN’ ON HEAVEN’S DOOR
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Wed (0141 353 8000)
Three hours of some of the greatest rock ’n’ roll hits in the canon as they were performed by Eddie Cochrane, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and Elvis, four of the most influential figures in 20th-century popular music.
JEFF FINLIN
ABC2, Glasgow Thu (0141 204 5151); the Tunnels, Aberdeen, Fri (01224 211 121); Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat (0131 220 6176)
The Nashville singer-songwriter, whose lyrical and melodic style has earned him comparisons to Bob Dylan and John Prine, tours his new album Angels In Disguise.
NEVILLE STAPLE
Arches, Glasgow, Thu (0870 240 7528)
The lead singer of the Specials, founding member of Fun Boy Three and a pivotal figure in the ska revival of the late 1970s.
BRITISH SEA POWER
King Tut’s, Glasgow, Fri (0141 204 5151)
Renowned for their colourful live performances, British Sea Power are raw, punky and partial to graceful, energetic, jaggy guitar riffs.
BORDERS FESTIVAL OF JAZZ & BLUES
Various venues, Hawick, Fri-Sun (01450 377 278)
A weekend of jazz and blues from New Orleans to New Wave, with performances from The Chicago Teddy Bears Society Jazz Band, Blues House and the Frank Booker Quartet.
BADLY DRAWN BOY
King Tut’s, Glasgow, Sat (0141 204 5151)
The former Mercury Music prize-winner plays an intimate Glasgow gig, his only in Scotland, ahead of the release of his new album Born in the UK.
THE RIVER DETECTIVES
Tron theatre, Glasgow, Sat (0141 552 4267)
The acoustic duo of Sam Correy and Dan O’Neill perform from their back catalogue including acclaimed recent album King of the Ghost Train Ride, which was recorded with musicians from Van Morisson’s backing band.
SIMPLY BARBRA
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Sat (0141 353 8000)
Steven Brinberg pays homage to the original diva in this one-person show featuring all the legendary singers greatest hits interspersed with snippets of gossip about her marriages, wisecracks about her movies and tales of her glittering career.
ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA
Corran Halls, Oban, Wed (01631 567 333); Victoria Hall, Campbeltown, Sat (www.rsno.org.uk)
The RSNO’S string section visits Oban with a programme of works by Bach, Elgar and Mozart followed by a jaunt to Campeltown for a full orchestra concert featuring Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto and Sibelius’s Symphony No 2.
BBC PROMS IN THE PARK
Glasgow Green, Glasgow, Sat (08700 100 160)
The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is joined by the Swedish trombone virtuoso Christian Lindberg, the Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman and the Inverclyde Junior Choir for the fourth BBC Proms in the Park, hosted by the BBC’s Sally Magnusson and Jamie MacDougall and conducted by Robert Ziegler.
MARCEL DZAMA — TREE WITH ROOTS
CCA, Glasgow, until Sept 16 (0141 352 4900)
An exhibition of work by New York-based Canadian artist Marcel Dzama, comprising 50 drawings and recent sculpture and video work.
KEITH COVENTRY: PAINTINGS
Tramway, Glasgow, until Sep 17 (0845 330 3501)
Chelsea School of Art graduate Keith Coventry is known for his abstract and narrative paintings exploring the idea of failed utopian societies in the modern world. This show brings together new work and several of his best-known painting series including Albany, White Abstracts and Estate.
HOW TO DO WHITE
Tramway, Glasgow, until Sep 17 (0845 330 3501)
An experimental collaboration between Glasgow-based artists Lisa Gallacher, Hannah Hewetson and Fiona Jardine that explores the place where fine art and fashion meet.
MARIJKE VAN WARMERDAM
Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sep 17 (0131 225 2383)
New and recent photographs, sculpture and film by Dutch artist Marijke van Warmerdam, best known for her mesmerising short films which play with the viewer’s perception of time.
GIRLPOWER & BOYHOOD
Talbot Rice, Gallery, Sep 30 (0131 650 2210)
An international exhibition exploring themes of fantasy and magic in contemporary painting with works by Ida Applebroog, Kathrine Ærtebjerg, Carolina Raquel Antich, Hernan Bas and Julie Roberts.
FACE OF CRAFT: PORTRAYING SCOTLAND’S MAKERS
Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, until Oct 8 (0131 624 6200)
This exhibition celebrates the work of 10 craftsmen and women, the places they work and the objects they make, including jewellery, bookbinding, metalwork and ceramics.
TOULOUSE-LAUTREC & THE ART NOUVEAU POSTER
City Art Centre, Edinburgh, until Oct 22 (0131 529 3993)
A exhibition of rare French lithographic prints from the early 19th-century. Fifteen of his most famous works will be on display, including La Goulue, which he designed in 1891 for the Moulin Rouge.
ANNE REDPATH & THE EDINBURGH SCHOOL
City Art Centre, Edinburgh, until Oct 22 (0131 529 3993)
The work of 20th-century Scottish painter Anne Redpath is contrasted with that of contemporaries such as Gillies, Maxwell, MacTaggart and Crozier. The exhibition features 30 works, primarily by Anne Redpath, alongside works from The McManus Galleries and Museum, the National Galleries of Scotland, the Royal Scottish Academy and private lenders.
NEW FORMATIONS
Lighthouse, Glasgow, until Oct 29 (0141 221 6362)
An exhibition of glassware by Glasstorm (Gray’s School of Art graduates Brodie Nairn and Nichola Burns) who combine Italian and Scandinavian influences.
DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME
Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Perth, until Nov 4 (01738 632 488)
This exhibition celebrates the history of performing arts in the region. Paintings, prints and drawings from the museum’s collections recall highlights such as the portrait of actress Ellen Pollock as Lady Macbeth and a group of colourful watercolours by John Milne Purvis, inspired by Shakespeare’s plays, which were designed as wall decorations for the foyer of the original Dundee Repertory theatre.
BEYOND THE PALACE WALLS: ISLAMIC ART FROM THE STATE HERITAGE MUSEUM
Royal Museum, Edinburgh, until Nov 5 (0131 225 7534)
An exhibition of Islamic art from as far afield as Egypt and China. Many have never been shown outside Russia. The display includes textiles, embroideries, glass, metalwork and jewels and the often fascinating stories behind them.
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, until Nov 5 (0131 624 6200)
A retrospective of the work of notorious American photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, who rose to fame in the 1970s and 1980s for his photographs of male and female nudes.
EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM
Dundee Rep, Dundee, Fri & Sat (01382 223 530)
Puppet show from the Puppet Lab based on Janet and Allan Alhberg’s much-loved illustrated book for toddlers that features characters such as Tom Thumb and Baby Bunting.
FIREMAN SAM TO THE RESCUE
Edinburgh Festival theatre, Fri-Sun (0131 529 6000)
Fireman Sam rescues a trapped hand, helps catch a runaway sheep and even extinguishes a fire in this stage version of the popular children’s animated television show.
JOHN HEGLEY
Citizens theatre, Glasgow, Sat (0141 429 0022)
Poetic intervention in the form of poems, songs, silly dances and puppetry from John Hegley as he heads west down the M8 from the Edinburgh fringe.
HOMES AND INTERIORS EXHIBITION 2006
SECC, Glasgow, Sat & Sun (0870 040 4000)
The latest trends in home design and furniture are revealed.