From Kylie to Garbage, Chernobyl to Legally Blonde, it’s been some week

So before I disappear in the rehearsal room for two weeks to direct Edinburgh Little Theatre’s new production of American Idiot amongst others, time to review the past week.

The Castle Concerts, always a highlight of the Edinburgh year, are here and, as always, there was one caught my eye, which is why I was at the Castle on Sunday, watching Kylie Minogue.

Over two nights, the Princess of Pop delivered a brace of the best pop concerts the Capital has seen.

Slick, pacey and down to Earth, the crowds loved Kylie and she loved them right back in a feel-good show that had everyone singing along and on their feet.

Now to keep the campaign to get the Pet Shop Boys to the Castle Esplanade in 2020 going.

On Wednesday, a trip through Dunfermline’s Alhambra Theatre for Garbage reunited members of the original Edinburgh Youth Theatre (EYT) of the 1980s.

Shirley Manson, on fine, fine form, was one of the alumni and as we all got together after a storming concert, it was a reminder just how important that period of our lives had been.

All in our 50s now, we bonded as teenagers performing together and though we don’t see that much of each other, all these years later the bond remains whenever we do get together.

EYT was a formative time for many of us and highlights how important it is that young people have access to such a creative platform as they learn to express themselves.

I’ve also been catching up on my television in the last week, namely Cherynobl.

Growing up in the late-60s and the 70s, a nuclear disaster was a terrifying prospect.

Consequently, the Sky Original drama Chernobyl (out this week on DVD and Blu-ray on 29 July) proved disturbing viewing.

Watching news bulletins as the story broke in 1986, I remember clearly how scared everyone was... the unthinkable had happened.

A stellar cast brings the sheer horror of the catastrophe into the light; when television is this powerful, it stays with you in a way other dramas rarely do.

Finally, this week I popped along to see The Beyond Broadway Experience in Legally Blonde at The King’s where it runs until Saturday 20 August.

Fast, funny and full of passion, it’s a high energy showcase of the talent of the future.

In amongst the wealth of talent on stage there are four great performances to watch for, all are stars of the future if they choose to continue acting; take a bow Clare Wootton, a hilarious Paulette, Fraser McAdam who anchors the musical as Emmett, Lori Davison who is effortlessly Elle, and scene-stealer Robbie Sheppard as Kyle B O’Boyle.

So, if you need a lift as the rainy weather returns, this is the show to see.

From Kylie to Garbage, Chernobyl to Legally Blonde, it’s been some week - Liam Rudden