On a distant and remote Scottish island, the Loch Parry Theatre Players mount a production of The Wicker Man. When their lead actor goes missing in mysterious circumstances, they call on the services of a television cop from the mainland to step in and save their production……
Regularly popping up at the top of "Best Horror Film of all Time" lists, with an unforgettable sense of creeping dread, a wonderfully memorable score by Paul Giovanni, career defining performances from Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee and arguably the best ending in cinema history, The Wicker Man is regarded as a true film classic. And now, in an affectionate new adaptation, the National Theatre of Scotland gives a gallus round of applause to this immortal chronicle of strange goings-on in a wee village.
Co-written by and starring one of Scotland’s wittiest performers, Greg Hemphill of Chewin’ the Fat fame, An Appointment with the Wicker Man revels in a once-in-a-lifetime line-up of comic talent including that son of Saltcoats, Johnny McKnight, widely regarded as the likely inheritor of Stanley Baxter’s glittering mantle. Johnny IS the Loch Parry Theatre Players’ director, cajoling deep and meaningful performances from his actors as they am-dram their way towards their production’s incendiary finale.
Directed by the National Theatre of Scotland’s very own Vicky Featherstone, An Appointment with the Wicker Man is a love letter to a unique and timeless cult masterpiece, except that someone forgot to pay the postage. It is at once a deliciously wicked homage to, and a tender celebration of, a piece of cinema history that reveals for us the spooky undercurrents we always did believe were lurking just below the surface of Scottish village life.
This adaptation messes with forces it can't possibly comprehend but at the end of the night, only one thing is for sure...someone's going to burn for this.
Running time: approximately 2hrs including an interval
Age guide: an age guide of 14+ is suggested for this production