The invited audience on Friday evening were entertained with a show which opened with Nicola Benedetti, CBE, doing what she does best.
The internationally renowned violinist, who also heads up the Edinburgh International Festival, had the King’s Theatre in the palm of her hand as she stood alone in the spotlight on the stage. She performed an extract from Chaconne from Partitia No. 2 in D minor for solo violin. It was a truly captivating start to the Opening Celebration compered by the boys from the Panto – Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young.
The great and the good graced the newly refurbished stage with performances from Scottish Ballet, Scottish Opera, the National Theatre of Scotland, poet Hannah Lavery and a melange of performers from The Edinburgh Gang Show, the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group, Bohemians Lyric Opera Company, Southern Light, Edinburgh Gilbert & Sullivan Society, the Edinburgh Music Theatre, and Showcase.
There were heartfelt speeches with personal memories of the King’s from Dame Joan Stringer, CBE, the Chair of Capital Theatres, Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres and politicians, The First Minister, John Swinney, Ian Murray, the UK Government Minister of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Cllr Margaret Graham, Culture Convener.
Ian Murray took a leaf out of the new Prime Minister’s book, tucking his prepared speech firmly under his arm saying this was not a time for political speeches or government figures, and speaking off the cuff about his own boyhood memories of the theatre, and the escapism it provided.
The newly refurbished space is full of colour inside, and later after the show there were colourful projections outside the theatre.
Here’s to the next 120 years of the city’s theatre in Tollcross which opens officially to the public on Saturday morning.
