Five things to do in Scotland this week — Oz to Agatha Christie

1. The Wizard of Oz, Edinburgh

The Technicolor MGM classic movie is trippy, scary and camp as all get-out, so it makes perfect sense for the RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner The Vivienne to play the Wicked Witch from the West in this flashy live version. When a tornado strikes her farm in Kansas, Dorothy is transported to a strange land, where she picks up some unlikely allies and encounters a few strange characters, some of whom may have haunted your childhood dreams. You’ll get to hear a few enduring songs, such as Somewhere Over the Rainbow and Follow the Yellow Brick Road, as well as a few extras added by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. If you miss these dates, you can book in for runs in Glasgow (July 2-7, King’s Theatre) and Aberdeen (July 9-13, His Majesty’s Theatre).
Details February 13-17, Edinburgh Playhouse; uktour.wizardofozmusical.com

2. Fort William Mountain Festival

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the festival kicks off this year with a Q&A with 25 past recipients of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture. (They really should nickname this one Mountain GOAT, no?) Those ambassadors and experts in mountain rescue and sports will take questions from the audience. There’s even a tribute to doggy contributions to mountain culture. Other sessions range from the practical, such as avalanche awareness and advice on family adventures, biking and running, to the social, with several film screenings and an appearance by the wildlife cameraman and Strictly winner Hamza Yassin.
Details February 15-18, various venues, Fort William; mountainfestival.co.uk

Bill Bailey’s latest live show is called Thoughtifier

GILLIAN ROBERTSON

3. Bill Bailey, Aberdeen and Glasgow

“National treasure” is an overused term, but who could argue with it where this nature-loving musical supremo is concerned? He is also one of the funniest men in the country. Bailey’s latest live show is called Thoughtifier and, in a world where the tasks that used to be done by people are increasingly being taken on by machines, it celebrates humanity in all its flawed glory. Unrequited love and the wonder of whales are some of the other subjects he’ll be playing with. Don’t worry if you can’t make these dates as he’ll be back for another gig at the Edinburgh Playhouse on March 11.
Details February 15, P&J Arena, Aberdeen; February 16 and 25, SEC (Armadillo), Glasgow; billbailey.co.uk

4. Marx in London!, Glasgow and Edinburgh

You can tell from the exclamation mark that this Scottish Opera production isn’t going to be a dense study of political philosophy. It’s a summer day in 1871 and Karl Marx’s personal life is in chaos. Debt collectors are snapping at his heels, Friedrich Engels has to keep bailing him out and his family are hounding him. There’s so much going on that one might almost forget about the spread of communism. This is a UK premiere of a comic opera originally written for the 200th anniversary of Marx’s birth. It was performed at the Theatre Bonn, Germany, in 2018 but further touring was paused by the pandemic.
Details February 13, 15, 16, Theatre Royal, Glasgow; February 22 and 24, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh; scottishopera.org.uk

David Suchet, who played Poirot on TV, will appear at the crime fiction festival

5. Granite Noir, Aberdeen

If you like Agatha Christie’s exacting Belgian sleuth, Hercule Poirot, you’re going to love this year’s Granite Noir. Not only is David Suchet coming (he played Poirot on TV for 25 years), but Sophie Hannah, who has published four new Poirot novels, will also be in Aberdeen to talk about her latest work. Other interesting names at the crime fiction festival include increasingly popular Callum McSorley, and David Swindle, the Scottish detective who caught the serial killer Peter Tobin. We’re looking forward to seeing McSorley, whose debut novel, Squeaky Clean, was inspired by his time working at a car wash in the east end of Glasgow. The Field of Blood novelist Denise Mina is also appearing with Louise Welsh, Charles Cumming and Bryan Burnett on February 23 — read our interview with Mina here.
Details February 20-25, various venues, Aberdeen; aberdeenperformingarts.com/granite-noir

King Creosote at Kelvingrove Bandstand in 2015

ROSS GILMORE/REDFERNS

And one to book ahead … Summer Nights at the Bandstand

Echo and the Bunnymen, Squeeze, Bananarama, Bill Bailey and Johnny Marr are among the acts making the Kelvingrove Bandstand a sweet place to hang out this summer.
Details July 23 to August 10, Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow; tickets-scotland.com