Latest news with #RickyRoss
Scotsman
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Small Acts of Love: the 'ambitious' new show reopening the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow
This autumn, the Citizens' Theatre in Glasgow will reopen after a seven-year refurbishment programme with a production of Ricky Ross and Frances Poet's Lockerbie bombing drama Small Acts of Love. Joyce McMillan reports Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... First preview Tuesday 9 September, gala opening Friday 12th; and with a mighty swirl of Gorbals glamour, Glasgow's beloved Citizens' Theatre will be open again for business, after a £40 million rebuilding programme that was originally billed to take three years, but that - thanks to lockdown, among many other delays - has taken more than seven years, since May 2018. The newly refurbished Citizens' Theatre | Mark Liddell The result, though, is simply breathtaking. The Citizens' much-loved Victorian auditorium, first opened in 1878, remains as it always was, glowing in red plush and superb gold plasterwork, and with its dizzyingly steep balcony tier now gorgeously refurbished for the 21st century. All around it, though - and designed to reveal and celebrate the very bones of the original Citizens' building - is a fabulous new theatre building for Glasgow, still featuring some of the old backstage spaces, but also offering a soaring new foyer and cafe area opening straight onto Gorbals Street. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There are also - beyond the foyer - a range of impressive new facilities, from a brand new studio theatre and community company space to new or beautifully refurbished dressing rooms, rehearsal spaces, workshops and offices, and a magical glass-walled corridor that runs through the building, offering the public a view of everything from the backstage scene dock to the ancient machinery still in place under the stage. Dominic Hill | Tommy Ga-Ken Wan 'It's a wonderful moment,' says the Citizens' artistic director Dominic Hill, reflecting on the company's final rush to reopen, in just six weeks time. 'It feels big, and it feels national in its significance. The new building is just so exciting and inspiring; and what I love is the way it somehow holds the whole history of the Citizens', while also enabling us to look forward. In the time the theatre has been closed, a whole new community has grown up around it - a new Gorbals, with new people moving in; and we really want to be a vital part of that life of the community, a big building full of activity people can join in with, with a cafe that's open all day, and a real sense of open access for everyone. 'An in terms of the work on stage - well, you can see from our opening season that we want to present both classics and new work, perhaps more new work than in the past. We want to be telling stories about and from Scotland as it is today, as well as reinterpreting classics for our time; and that's why it just felt so right to reopen with a brand new show, a big, ambitious show that links Scotland to some of the key issues of our time.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ricky Ross | Tommy Ga-Ken Wan The show in question is Small Acts of Love, a new piece of music theatre about the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing of 1988, co-written by Glasgow-based playwright Frances Poet and Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue, who is delighted to be involved in the reopening of the theatre. 'I came to Glasgow as a student in the early 1980's,' says Ross, 'and I went to see everything at the Citizens'. And it just changed me, as it changed many people in my generation - the idea that Glasgow could have this fabulous theatre that was challenging and exciting audiences all over Europe - it was just transformative. 'So I've always loved the place; and when Dominic suggested this project back in 2020, and put me in touch with Frances Poet who had already been working on the Lockerbie story, it just seemed absolutely right. The story of what happened in Lockerbie after the bombing is just so much a story about community; and that's something I think theatre, particularly music theatre, can just capture brilliantly. At first, back in lockdown, it was just Frances doing the research and writing the script, and me writing the songs, both music and lyrics. Frances Poet 'But as the lyrics began to emerge, I would share them with Frances, and she would begin to work them into the text; and I really hope we've created something that gets to the heart of that experience, of how a community - and the American families they came to know so well - can survive such a thing, and begin to live on.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After Small Acts Of Love, the Citizens' autumn main stage season will also included a full-scale production of Tennessee Williams's The Glass Menagerie - co-produced with the Lyceum and Dundee Rep - and a first chance for Glasgow to see local playwright Douglas Maxwell's award-winning 2024 play So Young. And at Christmas, the theatre will present both Barrowland Ballet's beautiful show The Gift, and - on the main stage - a brand new version of Beauty And The Beast by Lewis Hetherington, co-directed by Dominic Hill with brilliant young director Joanna Bowman. 'And after Christmas,' adds Dominic Hill, 'we're really looking forward to shows like Lynn Nottage's terrific American rust-belt play Sweat, Stewart Laing's take on Saint Joan, and a stage adaptation of Denise Mina's brilliant Glasgow novel The Long Drop, about the Peter Manuel trial. 'One show I'm particularly pleased about, though, is the first play in our studio, the Citizens' young company show Close. On one hand it tells the story of the Close Theatre, the Citizens' little theatre club and studio that brought a whole new strand of radical work to Glasgow audiences in the 1960s and 70s. Yet on the other, it also looks forward, and reflects on how that history can help shape our work today, and into the future. And I think in that sense, our young company is really expressing everything we want to say about this theatre, as we reopen; how much we value the Citizens' amazing past, and how excited we are that we can now take that inspiration forward, into the future.'
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ricky Ross leads tributes to Deacon Blue star after death
Ricky Ross has shared a heartbreaking tribute following the death of a beloved Deacon Blue member. James Prime tragically passed away on Thursday, June 19, the Scottish pop-rock group announced. In a post on X, the rockers revealed that the 64-year-old, from East Ayrshire, died after a short struggle with cancer. It comes after the group revealed earlier this month that the keyboard player was 'seriously ill and undergoing care' in hospital. READ MORE: Beloved member of Glasgow's Deacon Blue sadly dies Deacon Blue (Image: Supplied) Following the announcement, Deacon Blue's lead singer, Ricky Ross, has paid a touching tribute to his bandmate. He said: "We are brokenhearted. "Can't reply to messages, but we passed on the love so many of you shared." We are broken hearted. Can't reply to messages but we passed on the love so many of you shared. — Ricky Ross (@rickyaross) June 19, 2025 Fellow musician, Ged Grimes, from rock band Simple Minds, also paid tribute to the Deacon Blue legend. He said: "I am so shocked to hear the news of my friend Jim's passing. "Not only was Jim a superb musician, but his wit and huge personality were legendary. "We had so many great times together when I was a member of Deacon Blue, and my heart goes out to Jim's family and all my pals in the band. "Love ya, Jim RIP." Meanwhile, loads of fans have paid tribute to the talented musician on social media following his death. One wrote: "Such a huge loss and so terribly sad. "Thoughts with Jim's family and the wider Deacon Blue family." A second added: "Oh, so terribly sad. So many wonderful records and gigs. Blessed to have seen him only a couple of months ago." Another said: "So sad to hear this news. Such a talented musician and just the loveliest guy too. We'll all miss him." A fourth said: "I am absolutely gutted to read this. I was praying for a recovery where we would see Jim on the keyboard again." READ MORE: Watch as Glasgow band wows fans with incredible cover of Beyonce song READ MORE: Singer of Glasgow band shares adorable pic of wife in touching post Deacon Blue are a well-known Scottish pop-rock band that formed in Glasgow in 1985. Prime helped form the group 40 years ago, alongside Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh, Dougie Vipond, Ewen Vernal, and the late Graeme Kelling. James remained part of the band up until his death on Thursday, June 19, with Ricky, Lorraine, Dougie, Gregor Philp, and Lewis Gordon. The rockers are known for their tunes, including Real Gone Kid, Dignity, Fergus Sings The Blues, Chocolate Girl, and Twist and Shout.
The Herald Scotland
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Who was Deacon Blue keyboardist and 'Killie boy' James Prime?
Prime, who died today at 64, co-founded Deacon Blue in 1985 with Ricky Ross, Lorraine MacInosh, Ewen Vernal and Dougie Vipond. The band rose up the UK charts in the 1980s, with top hits including 'Real Gone Kid' (no.8), 'I'll Never Fall in Love Again' (no.2), and 'Twist and Shout' (no.10). Deacon Blue, which broke up in 1994 before returning to the stage a decade later, also has two UK number one albums. Ayrshire-born James Prime. (Image: X) In an interview with Aussie music podcast The Keyboard Chronicles last year, Prime talked about his upbringing and musical inspiration. He said: 'I come from like a long line of piano players in my house, three sisters, and so they all played the flute and the guitar and the piano. But I had something else that was going on. 'My mum told me that I started playing piano when I was 4. So it was before even preschool, you know, or kindergarten. 'Off the back of Altered Images, I was working at a little theatre, getting a chance to work with techies and lighting guys. I made my money playing in the theatre and I loved that. 'It was like an old fashioned piano player playing with film, you know. And I think that the theatre experience really taught me how to put shows together and what the audience expects.' Read more: Deacon Blue announce death of founder member Jim Prime after short cancer battle Deacon Blue announce new album and huge Scottish shows for 2025 Deacon Blue among Scottish artists playing charity Gig for Gaza in Glasgow in May Prime went on to explain how he briefly left the music industry after 'getting the fear' and went to work at a computer centre for Clydesdale. It was then when his life began to change. He told The Keyboard Chronicles: 'This local DJ said we have this guy Ricky Ross and, so in between doing a lot of little gigs and things like that, I met up with Ricky and we just hit it off. 'We played some pretty horrible places. But there was just something about being in a band and that camaraderie that kind of develops you, warts and all. 'I guess that's why I learned most was to trust other people that the world's full of good people rather than bad people, which I had experience of.' 'My modus operandi is that it doesn't matter whether it's a 20,000 capacity stadium, the next day you're in a supermarket or you're taking your dog for a walk. That's real. "The Hydro isn't real. It's just a show. That's what you do, but your life is turned upside down.' Prime and some of the other members of Deacon Blue. (Image: PA) Prime's legacy extends beyond his association with Deacon Blue, as the keyboardist became a longtime music lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). He spoke about his time teaching at UWS, quipping: 'You can imagine a class with me doesn't come from any book. 'I try as much as I can now to tell people about the power that their music has for other people, not just writing songs in bedrooms and being on the stage. 'I do a lot of work with Alzheimer's Scotland, and I've done stuff with special needs and I try to encourage kids to get out there and talk to all people and help them with their memory.' The full interview with The Keyboard Chronicles can be found here
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Deacon Blue keyboard player James Prime dies aged 64
Deacon Blue's keyboard player James Prime has died from cancer aged 64. Prime was a founding member of the band when it was formed in Glasgow by singer Ricky Ross in 1985. In a statement on Instagram, the band said that "our brother, James Prime, passed away after a short struggle with cancer". It added: "Thank you so much for the messages of support that you shared over the last two weeks, they meant so much to Jim, his family and us." The band announced last week that Prime was "seriously ill" in intensive care and had given them the go-ahead to continue with their scheduled tour later this year. Deacon Blue are one of Scotland's most successful bands with 12 UK top 40 singles - including the iconic anthem Dignity and number one Real Gone Kid - and two UK number 1 albums.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Deacon blue keyboard player James Prime dies after short battle with cancer
Deacon Blue keyboardist James 'Jim' Prime has died aged 64 after a short battle with cancer. The Scottish pop-rock band announced the news shortly after Prime, from Kilmarnock, died on Thursday morning. They wrote on social media: 'Dear friends, We announce with great sadness that our brother James Prime passed away this morning after a short struggle with cancer. Dear friends, We announce with great sadness that our brother James Prime passed away this morning after a short struggle with cancer. Thank you so much for the messages of support that you shared over the last two weeks, they meant so much to Jim, his family & us. With love, DBx — Deacon Blue (@deaconbluemusic) June 19, 2025 'Thank you so much for the messages of support that you shared over the last two weeks, they meant so much to Jim, his family & us. With love, DBx.' Founded in 1985, Deacon Blue consist of Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh on vocals, Dougie Vipond on drums, Gregor Philp on guitar, and Lewis Gordon on bass. The group have released 11 studio albums to date, as well as two live albums, eight compilation albums, and an album that features both studio and compilation elements. They are best known for their hit single Dignity, which propelled them to success in their early years. Earlier this month, the band said Prime, who was also a lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland, was seriously ill. They wrote on social media on June 11: 'We wanted to share some news with you about our brother, Jim. 'Unfortunately, he is seriously ill and undergoing care in hospital. We would like you to join us in wishing him well and to share your love with him. 'We spoke to Jim yesterday about Deacon Blue's plans for the rest of the year, and he encouraged us to continue with love in our hearts and with his full blessing that the shows go ahead, even if it means replacing the irreplaceable James Miller Prime for the time being. 'Together with Jim's family, we want to thank all the nurses, doctors and ICU staff for their ongoing care, professionalism and compassion.'
