Arts diary: Narrow escape for rare Botanics plants and 'badly timed' lift failure at 'most accessible' theatre

The launch event featured a fabulous surprise programme which included performances from Nicola Benedetti, Scottish Ballet and actors from the National Theatre of Scotland - and hosted by panto favourites Grant Stott, Alan Stewart and Jordan Young, who couldn’t have looked more pleased to be back home.

Following a £41 million refurbishment, the venue is being billed as one of the most-accessible historic theatres in the UK - with new lifts front and back of house.

However, one arts PR with a broken foot did not find it quite so accessible when she arrived for the opening event. One lift has officially been out of order for days - rumour has it a new part needs to be fitted - while the second inexplicably stopped working shortly after the first guests arrived on Friday, forcing said injured publicist to navigate the peacock blue stairs to the bar on her crutch.

“It wasn't great timing,” admitted one member of Capital Theatres staff.

However, any ghosts haunting the King's Theatre - my guess is the highly efficient and “feisty” Bethia Cassie who ran the lighting desk nearly 100 years ago, that woman could do anything - are clearly skilled in lift maintenance, apparently getting the service up and running again by the end of the show.

“I heard a ping during the beginning of Grant, Jordan and Alan's first bit and I thought ‘thank goodness, the lift's working again,’ the staff member revealed.

The theatre building is handed over to the Edinburgh International Festival for a month this week. Let’s hope they also have lift maintenance ghosts on staff.

Near-death experience for Botanics plants

Some rare plants had a near-death experience earlier this week when an aging vent mechanism failed at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

“A rescue mission kicked into action,” an insider tells me. “Specimens including Brugmansia sanguinea and Rhododendron kanehirae, both extinct in the wild, were evacuated after a critical failure occurred when an aging vent arm mechanism gradually worked loose before ultimately failing.

“A huge amount of glass broke, and the plants underneath were at risk both from being damaged from falling glass and also being exposed to the elements.”

Luckily, staff managed to evacuate the plants in time.

With the Garden’s Palm Houses set to re-open in October after a five-year restoration project, the research houses are due to form part of phase two of the Edinburgh Biomes initiative to restore or replace all glasshouses at the Inverleith site.

Without the vital repairs, which need urgent funding, the security of globally significant living collections are at risk.

The affected collections will be temporarily homed while repairs are carried out to the house.

“Wir midder tongue is dear ta mony fock”

Song writer and traditional fiddle player Claire White has been appointed as the Shaetlan Scriever, where she will take up a year-long residency with the National Library of Scotland.

The residency gives Ms White the opportunity to explore the richness of the National Library’s Scots language collections, as well as the space and time to produce original work in Shaetlan.

“Wir midder tongue is dear ta mony fock an hit’s winderfil ta celebrate hit trowe dis residency,” said Ms White.

Greg swapping

And finally, due to unforeseen circumstances, Greg Hemphill will no longer be available to be “In Conversation” with Fred MacAulay at Fringe By The Sea on Friday.

Instead Fred will be chatting to Edinburgh born actor Greg McHugh, the creator, writer and star of the BBC One Scotland comedy series Gary: Tank Commander.