Wild Rose musical to have world premiere next spring

John Tiffany (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) is set to direct the world premiere stage adaptation of Wild Rose, written by BAFTA Award winner Nicole Taylor (Three Girls) and based on the BAFTA Award-winning film of the same name.

The production will feature songs from such country music favourites as Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, Chris Stapleton, Caitlyn Smith, The Chicks, and Patty Griffin, as well as the film’s original song “Glasgow (No Place Like Home).”

Wild Rose follows the trials and tribulations of Rose-Lynn Harlan. Fresh out of jail for past misdemeanours and dreaming of a career as a singer in Nashville, she is faced with the realities of raising two young children in Glasgow.

Choreography is by Steven Hoggett (a long-term collaborator of Tiffany’s) and Vicki Manderson, with set design by Chloe Lamford, costume design by Katrina Lindsay, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound Design by Tony Gayle, music supervision, orchestration and arrangements by Sarah Travis and Davey Anderson, and casting by Charlotte Sutton.

Tiffany commented: “It feels absolutely right for Wild Rose’s journey to start in Scotland – and that it’s on the Lyceum stage that the brilliant, hilarious, complex character that is Rose-Lynn Harlan is brought to life. I’m incredibly fortunate to be partnering with Nicole Taylor in adapting her film. She is an extraordinary writer and her innate love and knowledge of country music infects us all in the best way. It’s also a homecoming for me, having studied in Scotland, trained at the Traverse and later been part of creating the National Theatre of Scotland. It’s a welcome return, with an incredible team.”

Taylor added: “I don’t think there will ever be a character who means as much to me as Rose-Lynn Harlan. Bringing her to the stage, and starting that journey in Scotland, is the fulfilment of a dream I’ve had from the very beginning. From the moment this girl roared into my head, I always imagined that one day I’d get to tell her story in the theatre.

“Growing up in a West of Scotland where people didn’t talk much or at all about their feelings, I became obsessed with country music and its ability to express the entire range of human emotion. The titans of the genre were women – Wynonna, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Reba, Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood etc. – and they seemed to give voice to things that could scarcely even be spoken.

“But back then, being into country back was a lonely road!  So it’s thrilling and quite unexpected that it’s now the hottest genre around. For me though, it still is what it always was: music that cracks you open and as Rose-Lynn says, gets whatever’s in there out.

“I’m so thrilled to be opening Wild Rose in Scotland under the direction of the great John Tiffany – it really does feel like bringing it home.”

Co-presented by Caledonia Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions, Wild Rose will run from 6 March until 5 April 2025, with a press night scheduled for 14 March. Casting for the production is to be announced.

You can read more about the Lyceum season here.