Glenn Macnamara brings the magic of the movies to Kirkcaldy

His last two shows have sold out in Kirkcaldy, and with good reason.

A first performance at the Adam Smith in 2017 saw huge demand for tickets, and the local lad again filled every seat at a Christmas event at the Old Kirk last year.

Now he’s back and this time bringing the magic of the movies during a two-night stint at the Adam Smith Theatre.

Glenn, whose voice has taken him all over the world, is keen to get back where it all started.

“It’s nice, to be back in Kirkcaldy again,” he said.

“With the Adam Smith, it feels like home, and it was great to do a gig in the church at Christmas.

“I don’t get to do this very often in my home town so to do this for two nights is a real treat.”

Also featuring in the show, will be singer driver Ronnie Curran, and two young performers from Kirkcaldy Youth Music Theatre (KYMT).

And Glenn is also showcasing some of Kirkcaldy’s hidden treasures, and up-and-coming talent.

“My dad will compere, he’s 80, and he compered at Christmas time,” said Glenn. “He was excellent, really funny and engaging, so it’s a nice family event.

“KYMT is in its 60th year, it is one of the oldest youth theatres in the UK, and I was part of that as a kid and it helped me, and coached me, with my audition pieces to get in to drama school and it was very invested in the whole process. Last year I performed for its 60th fundraiser celebration.

“It just did Chicago as part of its show, so the two lead girls, Niamh Corkey and Dominica Valente, are coming to do a couple of songs.

“We’ve also got Eliot Murray coming back with his eight-piece big band.

“It’s all guys that I’ve met doing musical theatre shows, like the Rat Pack or stuff in London, and they do all the number one tours of Chicago or Jesus Christ Superstar – so they’re all top professionals.

“So for me to be able to have them hand-picked by Eliot Murray, it’s a bit of a dream come true, really.

“The music that’s been written for the show has some of the best orchestrations that I’ve heard in a long time. I’m excited about listening to this mini-big band play some of the best Sinatra songs of all time.

“Ronnie Curran, the singing bus driver – the connection is that Matt Monroe was originally a bus driver as well, and Ronnie’s doing a Matt Monroe song, so we’re making those kind of connections, which is nice.”

Glenn says bringing the theme of movies into the mix is a reminder of times when movies and theatre shows were far more of an event than in modern day culture.

“It’s swinging movies and musicals, so all the biggest songs from the time, New York New York, Luck Be A Lady, and things like that.

“Movies and music kind of go hand-in-hand as one came off the back of another and created a whole genre, the American musical movie was the big thing of its time.

“Back then with the big box office hits, if anyone wanted to see them, they had to queue up at the cinema or buy a seven-inch to hear the songs, and it was such a big deal.

“Now music has become so disposable, where you can just click online and see whatever you want to see instantly, but in those days you were trying to recreate those songs and moments for an audience.

“It’s going to be the biggest show I’ve done.

“They’re such iconic songs that came from musical theatre, and the American songbook.

“ They’re so synonymous, the chronology of musical theatre, jazz, and swing, or Frank Sinatra, they kind of created an era of the American songbook because that wasn’t a thing before that.”

Glenn Macnamara will bring Frank Sinatra and Friends: Swinging Movies and Musicals to the Adam Smith Theatre on Friday, May 17, and Saturday 18.

Visit onfife.com or click here for tickets.