ON Friday night, a sell out audience attended the premiere of Kingdom Theatre’s “Kelty Clippie -The Musical” based on John Watt’s famous song, writes the Times theatre critic Kerry Black.

The venue was The Lime Studio, in the Greenside Theatre at Nicolson Square as part of the Edinburgh Fringe.

With a simple set consisting of a few bus seats and a steering wheel, the stage was ready for an evening doused in nostalgia as our heroine Maggie Blair (aka The Lily of Lumphinnans), strode onto the stage, ready for her interview for her dream job as a Kelty Clippie.

Maggie was played by Dunfermline’s own Jacqueline Hannan, who many locals may remember as Mrs Overall in Rosyth Musical’s “Acorn Antiques”.

Jackie is a fabulous comedy actress and a great singer too. When she was transformed into a clippie, complete with a genuine old ticket machine and bus tickets, it was like watching Miss World being crowned as the clippie hat was placed on her head!

Lochgelly’s own Sean Mitchell, played a wide variety of roles, from a smart interviewer, to a club DJ/bingo caller and best of all a sleazy bus passenger. Sean regularly performs with Kelty Musical and is a very talented and versatile performer. With Bob Brews as Dan, the ukulele playing bus driver who fancies Maggie, and Lisa Birrell as Senga, a comical sequinned passenger, the action swung from the bus routes to the glittering spectacle that is Kelty Club!

While the “Kelty Clippie” song was well utilised, the show also contained original songs by the writers John Murray and Willie Logan, as well as a hearty all dancing rendition of The Slosh to “Ten Guitars”.

Directed by Laura Reed, this is a comical wee show, complete with authentic bus costumes, taking us back to the days when buses were essential to the local pits and lino factories and a wee Cointreau with lime was the height of sophistication on a Saturday night!

This is a warm hearted show which will certainly appeal to Fifers and anyone who has ever heard the clippies’ famous cry “Come oan, get aff!”

The show runs nightly (except Sundays) at 6.30pm until Saturday August 25.