28 May 2025
National Theatre of Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres present
WORLD PREMIERE
The High Life.
The Musical.
Still Living it!
Story, Script and Lyrics by Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson and Johnny McKnight
Music by Forbes Masson, additional music by Alan Cumming
Directed by Andrew Panton
Cast includes Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart.
Colin Richmond - Set & Costume Designer; Emily Jane Boyle - Choreographer; Musical Supervisor - Sarah Travis; Lighting Designer - Grant Anderson
Touring Scotland from Saturday 28 March until Saturday 16 May 2026.
Touring to Dundee Rep Theatre, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh and King’s Theatre, Glasgow.
After a 30-year delay in the departure lounge, The High Life returns in a new musical spectacular featuring all four original cast members - Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, Siobhan Redmond and Patrick Ryecart aka Sebastian Flight, Steve McCracken, Shona Spurtle and Captain Hilary Duff.
The production will tour Scotland in Spring 2026, with previews and opening performance at Dundee Rep Theatre from 28 March, then onward touring to HMT Aberdeen, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Eden Court Theatre and King’s Theatre Glasgow until 16 May 2026.
The High Life is a creative collaboration between trailblazing, multi-award-winning artist Alan Cumming (US Traitors, X2 and Avengers: Doomsday and Cabaret on Broadway) and his long-time writing and performing partner, prolific stage and screen actor and writer Forbes Masson (Only Child, The Crown, Eastenders). The creative team is joined by celebrated writer, performer and panto-maker Johnny McKnight (Wendy Hoose, Radiant Vermin, River City) and the award-winning and internationally acclaimed Artistic Director of Dundee Rep, Andrew Panton (August: Osage County, No Love Songs, A History of Paper).
Oh deary me! Air Scotia has been sold, and unless our intrepid cabin crew can prove they’re still fit for purpose it looks like the future destination for Air Scotia is the scrap heap. In this flight for their lives, our cut-price cabin crew must get themselves (and their passengers) to their destination safely, testing their mettle and putting decades old friendships and rivalries finally to rest.
The High Life was first commissioned and broadcast by the BBC, created by and featuring Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson. It was a launchpad to its creators’ long and illustrious careers. Since airing in the 90s it has attracted cult status for its sharp wit, farcical storytelling and joyous buffoonery. Taking place in the fictional Air Scotia airline, it centres around air stewards Steve, Sebastian and Shona – the most useless cabin crew ever to push a drinks trolley while asking ‘U Fur Coffee?”.
This revival sees our iconic characters finding themselves growing older in an ever-changing world. It will feature new and original music, is stuffed full of camp silliness and is cleared for take-off.
Siobhan Redmond reprises her TV role as the iconic Shona Spurtle on stage. Siobhan has worked extensively in theatre, film and television and is known most recently for appearances in Two Doors Down, Death in Paradise and Rain Dogs. She is joined on board by Patrick Ryecart as the absent-minded Captain Hilary Duff. Patrick’s screen credits include The Crown, Poldark and The King’s Speech.
Cumming and Masson met at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1982 and formed the beloved comedy double act Victor and Barry. This momentous showbiz event was recently chronicled in the book Victor and Barry’s Kelvinside Compendium – A Meander Down Memory Close, a 40th anniversary celebration of their birth.
The pair later transmogrified Victor and Barry into Steve and Sebastian when they wrote the BBC sitcom, The High Life.
The High Life was first introduced to TV audience in an initial pilot in 1994 and then in a series of six episodes which were broadcast in early 1995. The series is currently available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson said:
“Never say never! We are both beyond excited to be donning those nylon slacks and crimpelene blazers and connecting with our inner trolly dollies after all these years. Returning to these characters alongside the genius that is Johnny McKnight has been a joyful experience and we can't wait to share what madness we’ve come up with around Scotland!”
Johnny McKnight said:
“I am absolutely thrilled to join the Air Scotia cabin crew. I grew up watching The High Life, wishing that one day I could get to fly thirty thousand feet with Alan, Forbes, Siobhan and Patrick. I never believed that a reunion show would happen, let alone that I would get to be part of the team working on it. The bags are packed, the tena-man pants on, and I am ready for check in. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for the flight of a lifetime.”
Andrew Panton said:
"Having been a High Life fan right from take-off in 1994, it’s been a total joy to work with this amazing team of pure talent. Our development time together has been a riot of creative energy, hilarity and brilliant music and songs and I feel sure our new stage musical will appeal to both fans of the TV show and folks new to The High Life! I’m thrilled that we’re creating the show at Dundee Rep Theatre before it jets off to entertain audiences across Scotland."
Alan Cumming is a multi-award-winning Scottish artist and much-loved star of stage and screen. He is the recently appointed Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and his previous collaborations with the National Theatre of Scotland include Burn (Edinburgh International Festival, Joyce Theater, New York) and performances as Dionysus in The Bacchae (2007 Edinburgh International Festival, Scottish tour, London’s Lyric Hammersmith and the Lincoln Center Festival, New York) and as Macbeth which premiered at Tramway in 2012 and was presented on Broadway. Alan won two Emmys for hosting and producing the US Traitors and was seen recently hosting the BAFTA TV awards (BBC). He played the lead in Brian Cox’s directorial film debut Glenrothan and will return to the superhero fold in Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday.
Forbes Masson recently starred in the acclaimed solo performance of Jekyll and Hyde, by leading Scottish playwright Gary McNair (Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and tour). His extensive theatre credits include Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest (Jamie Lloyd Productions at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane), Farm Hall (Jermyn Street Theatre, Bath Theatre Royal and Tour), The Taxidermist’s Daughter (Chichester Festival Theatre) and The Boy in the Dress, Macbeth, Hamlet (Royal Shakespeare Company) He is an associate artist with the RSC and National Theatre of Scotland and he is known for appearances in Only Child (BBC) The Crown (Netflix) Crime, EastEnders, Red Dwarf (BBC) and Catastrophe. Writing includes Victor and Barry (Edinburgh Festival/Donmar Warehouse/Australian tour), Stiff (Tron/Lyceum) and Mince (Dundee Rep).
Johnny McKnight has been described in the press as ‘the new vanguard of pantomime’ with over 32 productions to his name and multiple Panto UK Awards and nominations. Writing credits include the book for the musical adaptation of 101 Dalmations which premiered at Regents Open Air Theatre and then toured the UK. Johnny recently directed the critically acclaimed Scottish premiere of Philip Ridley’s Radiant Vermin at the Tron Theatre and the production has been nominated for four Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2025. He has written over 45 episodes of River City with his anniversary episode winning Best Drama at the RTS Scotland awards.
Andrew Panton is an award-winning theatre director and is currently Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Dundee Rep Theatre, where his directorial credits include August: Osage County, The Children, A History of Paper (Scotsman Fringe First award and Musical Theatre Review’s ‘Best New Musical’), Oor Wullie, Passing Places, Spring Awakening and No Love Songs . He is currently directing Make it Happen, written by James Graham and starring Brian Cox which previews at Dundee Rep Theatre in July and runs for a week at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2025 co-produced with National Theatre of Scotland. Other previous work with NTS includes director of digital lockdown short Out of the Woods with Alan Cumming and Johnny McKnight and as staff director on the original UK & International tours of Black Watch. He has also directed productions for the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Royal & Derngate, Perth Theatre and The Stephen Joseph Theatre.
Siobhan Redmond is known for appearances in Two Doors Down, Death in Paradise, The Nest and Unforgotten. Her extensive stage credits include All's Well That Ends Well (Shakespeare's Globe); The Human Body (Donmar); The Straw Chair (Finborough); Vassa (Almeida); Top Girls; Dido, Queen of Carthage (National Theatre); Imperium; King John; Richard III; Dunsinane; Twelfth Night; The Comedy of Errors; Much Ado About Nothing; The Spanish Tragedy (RSC). Previous performances with National Theatre of Scotland include Dunsinane; Mary Stuart and The House of Bernarda Alba. Siobhan is an Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Patrick Ryecart most recently appeared in the acclaimed revival of Sondheim’s A Funny Thing happened on the way to The Forum directed by Cal McCrystal at the Lido 2, Paris. His first film appearance was in Richard Attenborough’s A Bridge Too Far. Other film appearances include Ken Russell’s Martinu, Prisoner of Honour, Heart of Darkness directed by Nic Roeg, Casanova, Camille, Silver Dream Racer, Michael Winners' Parting Shots, and The Kings Speech. Stage appearances include Candida playing opposite Deborah Kerr, An Ideal Husband, The Beastly Beatitudes of Balthazar B with Billy Connolly (London and U.S) A Midsummer Nights Dream, See You Next Tuesday, Monogamy, The Importance, and at the National Theatre playing Jack Absolute in the Rivals .TV work includes Dr. Who Midsomer Murders and The Crown.
Touring to Dundee Rep Theatre; His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh and King’s Theatre, Glasgow in Spring 2026.
Pictured: The High Life The Musical development - Siobhan Redmond, Alan Cumming, Forbes Masson, and Patrick Ryecart.
