Bursting with nostalgia, but narratively aimless

I’ll be the first to admit – I’m not a Bay City Rollers superfan. Outside of ‘Bye Bye Baby’, my knowledge of them is quite limited. Which put me in the minority as an audience member of ‘I Ran with the Gang’, a tribute to Alan Longmuir, currently playing at the Stage Door Theatre. A large part of the show experience is the audience; they love the music, and they aren’t afraid to show it – with accompanying tartan scarves. 

The music is easily lovable – Michael Karl-Lewis, Ross Jamieson, and Lee Fanning (as Young Alan, The Roller, and the Narrator respectively) have fantastic musical chops. Unfortunately, they are let down by a script that meanders down memory lane far too much. Karl-Lewis steers the story as best he can – but despite 45 minutes of story, I’m still left unsure as to what Liam Rudden (writer and director) wanted the arc of the narrative, or even what the conclusion is. For me, there was far too much ‘tell’, and not enough ‘show’; Karl-Lewis and Fanning take turns rallying anecdotes back and forth, with various cameos from Jamieson in a variety of roles. Jamieson, in his brief appearances, is an expert at chewing the scenery (of which there is none). 

Granted, this is definitely a show for those who already know plenty about the Bay City Rollers – there were frequent interjections from the audience with trivia about the band. As we neared the end of the performance, I thought that it was a shame that there weren’t more musical elements – at least, for the benefit of the die-hard crowd. My wish was granted, then, as the three men came together for a 20-minute Bay City Rollers megamix, with plenty of audience interaction. 

The show is bursting with nostalgia, but narratively aimless – it’s part tribute show, part long-winded autobiography. The cast’s passion and talent is evident, but the pacing of what they’re performing leaves something to be desired – don’t make the people wait for Shang-A-Lang; they clearly want to be ‘rocking to the music’ throughout, not just at the end!