Pitlochry Festival Theatre has a huge hit on its hands with Whisky Galore – A Musical!

With the ‘House Full’ sign up on a regular basis throughout the summer, all the remaining performances sold out, and waiting lists for returned tickets growing by the day, Whisky Galore – A Musical! has become the best selling show in PFT’s 58 year history.

“We knew from the audience reaction at the opening night back in May that we had a bit of a hit on our hands - the whole auditorium was up on its feet, cheering in appreciation” said PFT’s Chief Executive & Artistic Director, John Durnin. “But the subsequent scale of the show’s popularity has been truly staggering. Where else in Scotland would you get a full house on a wet Monday evening in June in the middle of a recession?”

“Even more extraordinary has been the way the show’s fame has spread far and wide in such a short space of time, attracting theatre goers from pretty much every corner of the UK. We’ve taken bookings from folks in the Bs - Blackburn, Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Bolton, Brighton, Bromley and Bristol, the Cs - Cambridge, Carlisle, Cardiff (in fact, throughout Wales, and Northern Ireland too), Chester, Chelmsford, Colchester, Croyden, Canterbury, Coventry, Crewe . . . the list just goes on and on. And from every corner of Scotland, naturally.”

“The Scottish Government’s Homecoming 2009 campaign has undoubtedly helped pull in visitors from even further away, as well. We’ve welcomed visitors from throughout Europe and the Baltic countries, New Zealand and Australia, and the USA (California, Illinois, Texas, Colorado and Seattle are just some of the states). Then there’s Canada, Israel . . .”

Marie Christie, Project Director for Homecoming Scotland 2009, said: “The world première of Whisky Galore - A Musical! has been an exciting highlight of the Homecoming programme. We are thrilled that this excellent adaptation of the famous Scottish novel has attracted so many international visitors to the beautiful surroundings of Highland Perthshire. Congratulations to the team at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and we look forward to more musical success in 2010 and beyond.”

So how do you follow that? “The audiences have given us no choice: we have to do another musical”, answered Mr. Durnin. “Preparations for our 2010 Season began back in June, and even then, we knew that we would have to find something very special to follow Whisky Galore – and that could only mean one of the Broadway classics. After much discussion and lengthy negotiations, we finally managed to secure the rights to one of the truly great musicals of the 20th century. I’m delighted to announce that the flagship production opening PFT’s 2010 Season will be Cole Porter’s musical comedy masterpiece, Kiss Me, Kate!”

Tickets for Kiss Me, Kate and the rest of the 2010 Season go on sale on 4th January, 2010. Contact PFT’s Box Office on 01796 484626 or buy online.

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Notes for Editors:
For interviews or more images, contact:
Giles Conisbee, Head Of Sales & Marketing, Pitlochry Festival Theatre. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

1. Homecoming Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the National Events Agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the National Tourism Agency.
2. Homecoming Scotland 2009 aims to motivate people of Scottish descent, as well as those who simply love Scotland, to come home in 2009 and take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world.
3. 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, with the programme’s design guided by Scotland’s unique position as the home of Burns himself, Golf, Whisky, great minds and innovations, rich culture and heritage and as the ancestral home of millions of people of Scots descent worldwide.
4. For more information on Homecoming Scotland please visit homecomingscotland2009.com or contact Richard Saville-Smith, PR Manager on 0131 472 2430 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it