From "Islander" to "Cyrano" to "Macbeth," Scots are invading New York's theater scene
NEW YORK -- New York's theater scene is experiencing a Scottish invasion.
"Islander: A New Musical" is about a quiet and lonely Scottish place where magical things happen. It stars Kirsty Findlay and Bethany Tennick and is playing at Playhouse 46 at St. Luke's in the Theater District.
"Sprinklings of Scots throughout the whole story, you know, words like wee and lassie, laddie," Tennick told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
Multiple characters and astonishing layers of sound are created by Findlay and Tennick using a machine called a loop station.
The creative team is led by director/writer Amy Draper and composer Finn Anderson.
"Using the loop station, so they live layer their voices," Anderson said.
It can help create beautiful music, but Findlay says a lot of things can go wrong, too.
"We can loop something like a cough or a baby crying, something that's happened in the audience, into the show and we have to find out how to take it out while we can continue," she said.
No matter your background, don't be surprised if leaving the show, you feel Scottish.
"Have a wee tram of whiskey, we'll have a wee bevvy, we'll go out and you'll come out a real Scot," Tennick said.
RELATED STORY: James McAvoy stars in BAM's "Cyrano de Bergerac" in Brooklyn
CBS2 spoke to a famous Scotsman of "X-Men" fame -- James McAvoy, who says he wants to see "Islander."
"Kirsty Findlay and Bethany Tennick. OK, I'm gonna go check it out. That's brilliant. Listen, there's only a couple million of us in the world," McAvoy said.
He will have to find time when he is not thrilling audiences as Cyrano de Bergerac at BAM Harvey Theater in Brooklyn.
And there's always "Macbeth," the one by Shakespeare known as "the Scottish play." It's on Broadway now, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga.
From Broadway to Brooklyn, Scotland is on stage in all kinds of ways.
