I don’t recall the scene in Titanic where Kate admitted to Leo that a loon spikkin’ a bit o’ Doric floated her boat, but if she did, you can bet it would have been just as hilarious as last night’s instalment of the annual student show.
The 102nd incarnation of the fundraising spectacular saw the good ship Ayetanic set sail on a mickey-taking journey of giggles and chuckles, savagely smashing bow-first into just about every Aberdonian landmark along the way.
A packed His Majesty’s Theatre landed smack-bang in the middle of the story of well-to-do family (they’re from Cults, don’t you know) the Hills, comprised of posh mum Mona, wannabe TikTok star Summer, and of course the begrudgingly betrothed Rose (Meg Stanger), who reveals a secret penchant for the local dialect.
Bursting into well-choreographed song and dance against the colourful backdrop of a Friday night in McNasty’s, we soon learn that sassy karaoke hostess, Suki Sweetie (Emmah Chibesakunda), not unlike a Doric Diana Ross, is about to seal the fate of nephew Jock (Logan McKerron); a Gray’s School of art student specialising in “pintin’ and dra’in”.
Forget the Heart of the Ocean, Ayetanic stole the heart of ‘Aiberdeen’
Departing from the harbour on a vessel “bigger than Boaty McBoatface”, and twice as funcy, the parodic show was speckled with spot-on characters such as auld’ manny ‘Bert the flirt’, broad spikkin’ local quines Shanelle and Shardonnay, and the impossible not to mention, iconic Ruby Slaw.
Each act introduced you to the cast as if you were taking a walk down Union Street, empty shops and all, as the fiercely witty script was quick to point out.
Let’s not even start on the battering that UTG suffered…
Watch out wind turbines – there’s danger ahead!
We all know that the story of the Titanic is not one of smooth sailing, but would the charismatic crew of strangely familiar faces sink or swim when it came to over-throwing the dastardly plan of secret oil tycoon, Den Wood (Conor McGarry) on his mission to single-handedly sabotage the Granite City’s transition to green energy?
I guess you’ll just have to buy a ticket and hop on board to find out…
Showcasing some seriously impressive vocals and some of the most high-energy dance numbers you’re likely to see this year, the student show was a resounding success, receiving anything but a frosty reception from the enthralled audience.
Ayetanic is at His Majesty’s Theatre from April 19 to 22. For information and tickets visit aberdeenperformingarts.com
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