**** (4 stars)
“Unmitigated mirth”
Previously seen in 2017 in a performance which was part of the Theatre Royal Glasgow’s 150th anniversary celebrations, this show has been revived to mark the 155th birthday of the legendary Scottish entertainer Sir Harry Lauder – and what better place to see this than in the great man’s birthplace, Portobello, on the anniversary of his birth. Ticket sales from these performances will go to Erskine Veterans Charity, which Lauder supported in his lifetime, and of which tonight’s performer, Jamie McDougall, is an ambassador.
Born on August 4th, 1870, in humble circumstances, Lauder became the equivalent of a pop idol today, a household name with an international career, who at one time was the highest-paid entertainer in the world and was knighted in 1919 – “the first knight of the music halls”. He started off as a comedian, but later introduced gentle romantic songs into his performances and preferred to describe himself as a minstrel. His only son John died in the Battle of the Somme in 1916, and Lauder spent a vast amount of time and energy entertaining the troops in France and raising over a million pounds for the care of wounded ex-servicemen by his performances around the world. He died on February 26 1950.
Jamie McDougall, well-known and -loved tenor whose performances with Scottish Opera are always a joy, was giving his penultimate performance of Lauder. From the moment he stepped onto the stage of Portobello’s town hall, he had us in the palm of his hand, pouring seemingly boundless energy and enthusiasm into a succession of Lauder’s catchy songs, sentimental without being saccharine, twinkling with oh-so-slightly naughty humour, and inviting us to enjoy ourselves as much as he was in performing for us.
Filmed scenes from Harry Lauder’s funeral segued into the man himself coming through the auditorium and on to the stage to meet his rehearsal pianist [the lovely and talented Derek Clark, former Head of Music at Scottish Opera]. His very first song, Stop your tickling, Jock! had the audience applauding enthusiastically – and the applause continued all night.
While conducting the rehearsal, ‘Lauder’ was also talking to a journalist who’d come to interview him – thus providing the perfect vehicle for him to talk about his early years and the gradual growth of his success. One of my favourite numbers was the utterly appalling temperance song he apparently sang at a Band of Hope concert when he was only five: the song was dreadful, but his rendition thereof was priceless!
What was also apparent was the man’s professionalism and the ways he ensured he was remembered, in an age which abounded in great singers, including the opera stars Gigli and Caruso… Make an entrance, always by the front door: if it’s in New York, be driven down Broadway preceded by a piper. Use the extra space on a recording after the song has finished to carry on speaking and become known for doing this. Cultivate a reputation for being tight with your money. In private he was obviously a very loving and generous son, husband and father, a tender-hearted man whose wife Nancy was the rock on which he leaned.
And then there were the songs…I love a lassie, a wee deoch an Doris, it’s nice to get up in the morning, we parted on the shore, the road to the Isles, and the final Keep right on to the end of the road had most of the audience joining in, with Jamie McDougall’s encouragement because singing is the thing that makes you cheery.
It wasn’t unmitigated mirth – the tragic news his son’s death was superbly portrayed, and immediately followed by film footage from the trenches. It was sobering to see apparently normal landscapes and realise that they concealed soldiers and weapons, and that many, or possibly all, of the men on film would not make it back home, or only with serious injuries. What was impressive was the way Lauder didn’t abandon himself to grief but used his fame to raise money for wounded soldiers,.
And somehow, through the grief, Harry kept the sparkle and joy in his performances, just as Jamie McDougall did so superbly throughout this evening in Portobello. I’m sad that tomorrow night is Jamie’s last-ever performance of Lauder but so very glad I had the chance to see him remember and enjoy portraying the life of the great man on his 155th birthday.
Scottish Opera: Lauder, Portobello Town Hall, Edinburgh runs until Tuesday 5th August.
ScotsGay Arts 