APA FRIENDS Autumn 10

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Autumn 2010

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Help us to reach for the stars ...with a donation to APA You may not know it but Aberdeen Performing Arts is a registered charity that needs funds to support His Majesty’s Theatre, The Music Hall and The Lemon Tree.

Income from box office sales simply isn’t enough on its own for us to maintain our buildings, reach new audiences, provide a diverse education programme and produce our own work. So we need a development fund.

A donation to APA will help us to continue staging the highest quality of entertainment for our audiences, while nurturing local talent and developing educational activities.

We have three main needs for funding within our development: Venues Fund - We strive to provide the most comfortable, high-quality experience for all our customers and fundraising is needed to maintain and improve facilities in all three of our beautiful venues.

Creative Learning Programme - Our wide range of education activities offer both children and adults an enormous range of opportunities to get involved with the arts. Fundraising enables us to inspire creativity and provide life-enhancing experiences for all while developing future audiences.

Production Fund - At APA we are fully committed to establishing the reputation of the company and of the North East as a producer of the highest-quality performing arts. Fundraising helps us to develop both small- and largescale productions from the early stages of adapting novels right through to touring our work throughout Scotland. Our ultimate aim is to secure the future of creative, homegrown productions in Aberdeen.

DESIGNED AND PRODUCED BY ABERDEEN PERFORMING ARTS

Please make a donation to our development fund and support the arts in the North East. All money raised will be used to maintain our venues, provide education activities and support the development of our productions.

If you wish your donation to be used specifically for any of the three funds above please say so and we will ensure your money is used where you wish.

For further information about supporting APA please contact me or please send a cheque to the address below made payable to Aberdeen Performing Arts.

Thank you.

Lorna Christie Development Manager The Music Hall Union Street Aberdeen AB10 1QS 01224 337657 lorna.christie@aberdeenperformingarts.com

Another suitcase, another concert for workaholic Jane So phenomenal was the demand for tickets for Jane McDonald’s first concert at The Music Hall that a second performance on Friday September 3 was scheduled and already availability is limited.

Now a regular fixture on ITV’s Loose Women, Jane’s rise to fame began with the filming of the BBC docusoap The Cruise where she showcased her bubbling personality and powerful vocals.

Between her television duties, Jane performs at venues up and down the country. One would assume she had a love of being on the road, but in reality it is quite the opposite - she hates living out of a suitcase. ”I really do like having my home comforts around me and kicking off my shoes to relax in my home surroundings. But all I ever seem to do is pack, unpack, and then get in the car to go somewhere. I always seem to be either on the motorway, in a hotel room, or in a studio or the theatre,” she says.

“But I’ll be honest. I really don’t want to change anything about my lifestyle. I am – I admit it – married to my work. I am a workaholic. So I may not be at home all that often, but when I am, I make it count. And, let’s face it, I’m doing what I love, so how on earth can I complain?”

APA FRIENDS who saw Jane’s show in February know that her concerts feature some fantastically talented musicians and singers.

Jane thinks it is important to demand the highest standards from the people she works with.

“When it comes to professionalism, all I can do is ask from others the standards that I set myself. I expect people to turn up on time, to pay attention to what the director is saying, and to look as if they’d paid a bit of attention to themselves. I respect the people in my team, and I ask for it in return. But respect has to be earned.”

When asked about her future ambitions, Jane replied that she would love to do some straight acting work. “It would prove that I can speak as well as sing. It would be another string to my bow – a challenge.

And I always rise to a challenge, that’s a huge part of my nature.”

Now a national celebrity, Jane hasn’t let fame or money change her.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a down to earth person – I still shop for my knickers in Marks & Spencers, and I’ve been going to the same butcher I use for more years than I care to remember.

“If it all finished tomorrow, I wouldn’t be unhappy, or upset. I’d just be so grateful that for a while, I was up there and that I experienced something really special.”

Martin Gallagher

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Eric adds girls touch to make Spamalot the toast of Broadway and the West End Despite Spamalot being ‘lovingly ripped off’ from Monty Python and The Holy Grail, Eric Idle admits adding women to the muchloved Monty Python mix was no easy task.

And he had to go back to the drawing board to come up with a plot for the comedy musical which has been a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic, and one of the biggest shows at HMT this summer.

“Although I had lots of funny bits to kick off with from The Holy Grail I still had to come up with a new storyline, make it one show, and focus on the characters we follow all the way through to the end,” he says.

“I just wrote what I thought would work, and ended up doing 17 drafts and re-writing act two three times before we got it right, over a period of four or five years.

“Of course the main thing was introducing women and emotion - Python has a problem with both. I knew we needed a great contralto role and so wrote The Lady of the Lake as a terrible diva.”

And of course there are the songs – Eric wrote 40 for Spamalot so there was a lot that didn’t make the final cut such as The Three Headed-Knight and The Spanking Song from Castle Anthrax.

“Initially we recorded about half a dozen to show the other Pythons what we were proposing to do with the show,” he explains.“ Fortunately they all loved The Song That Goes Like

This which is a very Pythonic type of song: asking ‘where is the song that goes like this?’ and they gave us permission to go ahead.”

Another challenge for him as a writer was to make the show one that would not only appeal to Python fans but also to those who were ignorant of, or even hated, Python.

And he is confident you don’t have to be a fan to like Spamalot – “I assumed Python fans would come anyway, but to be successful we had to attract a whole other audience, and this is what happened.

“In many ways Spamalot introduced new fans to Python. It’s a kind of anti-Broadway musical. It’s a musical that sends up Broadway musicals.”

And the part of putting Spamalot together that gave him the greatest delight? “Being in the girls’ dressing room,” he says without hesitation.

“My wife will say, ‘Where’s Eric?’ And the crew will say, ‘He’s in the girl’s dressing room.’ That’s cos’ I just love hanging out in there. Once, during the Australian tour I knocked on the door and called out ‘Are you naked yet?’ And the giggling call came back ‘Oh, come on in Eric.’

“So I walked in, and three of them were stark naked, straight off the beaches, fantastic bodies. So I had to pretend to be Prince Charles and not look at them, staring at their eyes and saying ‘How’s it going, girls.’

“I told my wife when I died I want to be buried in the girls dressing room in Melbourne’. She said, ‘You’re gonna be.’”

Joyce Summers

A spanking new show from BAFTA-winning funnymen Fresh from their resounding BAFTA Award-winning success, Alexander Armstrong and Ben Miller hit the road again this autumn with a brand-new live show, which reaches The Music Hall this October.

hapless football manager and his Russian oligarch boss; Jilted Jim, dumped at the altar but still on his honeymoon; the accident-prone culture vulture Dennis Lincoln-Park; the Frank Dad; and many many more.

Widely recognized as one of the best double acts in British comedy, this talented duo is brimming with excitement at the prospect of hitting the road again.

In a comedy partnership that’s lasted more than 20 years, Ben and Alexander are natural performers and improvisers who revel in the interplay with their audience.

“We are cock-a-hoop to be stepping out on tour. Expect all your favourite Armstrong and Miller characters and sketches in a market-fresh brand spanking new show.”

“We’ve built up such a great rapport with our fans, and we are so keen to perform live for them again… Hand on heart, this tour is the most exciting thing we’ve ever done. I feel like Pele the day before the World Cup Final.”

Ben and Alexander have worked hard with the highly regarded director Sean Foley (The Play What I Wrote) to recreate their best-loved TV characters for the stage: the World War II chav pilots whose street-talking lingo mirrors many modern teens; Tony and Dmitri, the

Armstrong and Miller - possibly the only Englishmen who feel they could reach the World Cup Final. Watch this space!

Leon Gray

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Mike Maran presents

A FUNNY VALENTINE

THE STORY AND MUSIC OF CHET BAKER

Cool hot jazz from Curtis, Courtney & Co Last year we brought the cool back to Aberdeen with the launch of Jazz at The Lemon Tree and of course our inaugural Northern Edge Jazz Festival.

Our packed festival programme showcased established veterans and up-and-coming prospects, internationally recognised stars and local talent in four days of sensational music, encompassing a broad variety of sounds and styles from the broadest musical genre.

This year’s festival, which runs from Tuesday 7 to Friday 17 September, is set to be even bigger and better, again steadfastly following our mantra to promote and showcase as broad a range of musicians as possible.

COURTNEY PINE CBE

We launched the first NEJF in the best way possible with the bowler-hatted jazz icon Acker Bilk getting things off to the perfect start. So how on earth, I hear you ask, do we match that?

Well, there is one man who has come to represent contemporary jazz, not only in the UK, but arguably beyond this island’s shores. Since he exploded on to the scene in 1987 with his debut album Journey to the Urge Within, saxophonist and all-round contemporary jazz pioneer Courtney Pine has been at the very forefront of jazz music.

Throughout his career he has continually strived to take his music in new directions. He’s worked with exciting musicians from across the globe and from many different genres, acting as an ambassador to bring jazz to new audiences and new generations. He also hosts BBC Radio 2’s Jazz Crusade and has presented several documentaries on jazz music’s influence in Britain and beyond.

On the live circuit, Courtney is the ultimate road warrior with more than 25 years touring behind him. He has played across the world, from the main stage at Glastonbury to the intimate Blue Note Tokyo, Japan, and continues to tour internationally with his award-winning band. His live performances are full of energy and passion, jaw-dropping musicianship coupled with charm and an ultra-cool stage presence.

Jazz music has had more than its fair share of musicians who fall in to the ‘troubled genius’ category. Stories abound of the impact drink, drugs and affairs have had on some of the genre’s brightest stars, of how sometimes they lead to some of the most achingly beautiful songs ever created and how sometimes they destroyed talents that never fully blossomed.

Mike Maran’s critically-acclaimed production tells the story of one of jazz’s most tragic figures – Chet Baker. The American trumpet player is rightly regarded as one of the very best, but throughout his career he battled drug addiction, finally losing the battle outside a hotel in Amsterdam in 1988.

Set in a prison cell in Lucca, Italy, in 1961, the show tells the story of Chet’s relationship with his cellmate and features live performances from Scots jazz duo Colin Steele and David Milligan.

NIKI KING

SINGS THE BILLIE HOLIDAY SONGBOOK

Catapulted into the spotlight in 2001 after winning the Perrier Jazz Vocalist of the Year Award, the stunning Edinburgh-born Niki King has not failed to live up to her early potential. She has since released four critically-acclaimed solo albums, showcasing a vocal style that at once evokes contemporary and classical jazz.

She’s headlined at none other than Tokyo’s Blue Note and the legendary Ronnie Scott’s in London, and also found time to open for soul icon Al Green and funk masters Average White Band.

Last year, Niki turned to the songbook of the tragic, enduring jazz icon Billie Holiday to mark the 50th anniversary of her death. The tour was a phenomenal success, proving the timelessness of Holiday’s singing and songwriting abilities, and huge demand has seen her booked to play a hectic festival schedule.

Set to be one of this year’s NEJF highlights, not to be missed!

BRASS JAW

We have always endeavoured to make sure that the ever-vibrant Scottish jazz scene is also represented at NEJF and this year we have a real treat in the form of Glasgow quartet Brass Jaw. But this isn’t just any quintet. Doing away with a traditional rhythm section, Brass Jaw creates a performance that is truly unique in sound and direction. Their concerts are characterised by momentum, drive and charisma, in a set that strongly embraces the jazz tradition while reaching out into the unknown towards new musical territory.

Deep at the heart of Brass Jaw’s philosophy is the idea that music should be as engaging, entertaining and humorous as it is virtuosic, cerebral and progressive.

The group will also be hosting workshops as part of the festival for beginners and more experienced players. For further information contact the box office.

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STAN TRACEY CBE

Following the incredible performance from Acker Bilk last year we knew we had to get a British jazz icon to star at this year’s festival.

Heralded as The Godfather of UK Jazz, pianist Stan Tracey is a man who has lived and breathed jazz for almost 70 years. He has been a highly influential and stimulating musical voice, not only to his peers, but to each successive generation of musicians with whom he has worked.

His piano playing evokes the greats such as Thelonius Monk and Duke Ellington while retaining his own highly idiosyncratic style. A master of harmony, he possesses a potent and compelling improviser’s intellect.

Through his unflinching commitment and dedication has emerged a very rare artist who has sustained a prolific output of highly exceptional music, writing over 20 commissions and the music for 40 of his own albums. His first major work, Under Milk Wood, inspired by Dylan Thomas’ radio play of the same title, is widely recognised as a masterpiece. A number of suites for big bands have followed, as well as works for his octet, sextet, and quartet.

Steadfastly ignoring the lure of commercialism, Stan remains true to his musical roots. Recently celebrating his 80th birthday in 2006 (and going from strength to strength!), Stan articulates: “Somewhere deep inside the crusty old cynicism is still the bright-eyed lad thinking, ‘Hey this is great!’”

CURTIS STIGERS

Though he had spent much of his musical youth learning the jazz from fellow Boise, Idaho, resident and jazz piano legend Gene Harris, the vocalist, saxophonist and songwriter exploded onto the scene in 1991 with his self-titled debut album more akin to rock and soul than jazz.

Curtis Stigers continued to explore genres throughout the 90s, but wasn’t able to repeat the success his debut had

enjoyed. It wasn’t until his fourth studio album Baby Plays Around in 2000 that he returned to jazz and he hasn’t looked back since, entering a highly creative and productive period of his musical career. Reflecting on the album, he remarks “I’d recorded it four years earlier, and it had just sat in the can all that time, waiting for the right time, waiting for me to realise that this was what I was best at, and what I was supposed to be doing.”

He has rightly cemented his reputation as a formidable jazz singer, one who recognises the value of the story within the song, and the countless ways in which that story can be told.

Along with his own original material and the traditional jazz songbook, Curtis has looked further afield for his inspiration, and not always in the places you expect!

His last album, Lost in Dreams, featured interpretations of songs by artists as diverse as John Lennon, Roger Waters and Annie Lennox alongside jazz standards, all reworked and retold in his own unique style.

SCOTTISH NATIONAL JAZZ ORCHESTRA PERFORM RHAPSODY IN BLUE

This year’s festival will culminate with a very special concert in the breathtaking surroundings of His Majesty’s Theatre.

Following the phenomenal success of their performance at last year’s Edinburgh Festival, the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra - led by saxophone virtuoso Tommy Smith - shall peform a unique interpretation of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue.

Expanded to accomodate Smith’s extraordinary musical vision, the SNJO interpretation veers from the original to explore many different areas of jazz and different inspirations. It will also showcase the sublime musicianship of the orchestra members, including Smith’s long-time collaborator acclaimed pianist Brian Kellock.

Chris J. Collins

Summertime and our thoughts turn to panto!

It may be summer, but a lot of people have been working on this year’s spectacular HMT panto, Sleeping Beauty, for some time now.

sold or reserved for Sleeping Beauty five months ahead of its opening night!”

Aberdeen’s favourite Dame Alan McHugh and Scotland’s favourite leading actress Elaine C Smith have been working together on her funny but evil character the Wicked Fairy, Carabosse, and the first draft of the script is finished already.

Elaine is absolutely delighted to be returning to HMT and Aberdeen this year. “I hadn't done a panto for five years before Cinderella and was wary about returning to it but I loved it. The people of Aberdeen were so warm and welcoming . . . from the audiences and staff at the theatre to the people in the street who showed me nothing but kindness in my six weeks there.

Joining Elaine and Alan onstage at HMT this winter will be another favourite with Aberdeen audiences, the very funny Jordan Young as Muddles.

“There are lots of surprises in store,” said Qdos Pantomimes managing director and Sleeping Beauty executive producer Michael Harrison. “The show has great comedy and big song and dance routines.

“The panto at His Majesty’s Theatre attracts more and more people each year and it has become one of Scotland’s most successful Christmas shows. In fact, over 20,000 tickets have already been

“So BEWARE... I am back and this time I am bad... yes I am playing the evil Carabosse... with a few laughs along the way, don't worry!”

Joyce Summers

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Flirtatiously funky folk with the six-strong Shee Take six young women from different parts of the UK, add in a flute, harp, viola, mandolin, accordion, a couple of fiddles and beautiful singing and you get what has been described as some of the most original ‘flirtatiously funky’ folk music around today.

The Shee are Lillias, Shona, Rachel, Olivia, Laura and Amy, an exceptional all-female folk band showcasing powerful vocals and instrumental prowess.

Their music features original compositions alongside a wealth of traditional material and mixes an adventurous brew of Scottish folk, Gaelic song, and bluegrass.

I caught up with flautist Lillias and singer and electric harpist Rachel to find out how the band met and what brought them together.

“We met on the Folk and Traditional Music degree in Newcastle,” said Lillias. “Myself and Shona grew up together in the Borders and we were part of the first intake of students on the degree. In our final year we came up with the idea of the band and brought together friends from each year of the course.

“At the time we all lived practically on the same street so meeting for a rehearsal and a glass of wine and a chat was easy. Now it's not quite as simple as members live in Newcastle, the Borders, Glasgow and Inverness!”

When asked about their musical influences, Rachel explained that a very important aspect of the band's musical sound is that they all come from different musical backgrounds and therefore it was difficult to pin down influences collectively.

“For example, Laura-Beth comes from a bluegrass background while I started out singing unaccompanied Gaelic song,” she added. “We aim to produce a sound that is unlike any other band. Really our biggest influence is the outcome that comes from this diverse mix of backgrounds!”

While The Shee is important to all six, they still find time to work on solo projects. Rachel and Lillias play together in a duo as do Amy and Shona. Olivia teaches strings for Highland Council, and Laura has her own bluegrass trio. Lillias is a talented graphic design artist and Amy plays in the Monster Ceilidh Band.

Many of the band play as session musicians in other people's bands and some of these include Kathryn Tickell Band, Shooglenifty, The Emily Portman Trio and the Scandinavian group Frigg.

The Shee play The Lemon Tree on Tuesday October 12 when an evening of fabulous folk music is guaranteed.

Lorna Christie

Niki can’t wait for school hols and Blood Brothers tour I recently had the opportunity to have a quick chat with Niki Evans who is playing Mrs Johnstone in the forthcoming production of Blood Brothers at His Majesty’s Theatre.

Best known for her appearance on the X Factor in 2007, I asked her whether she thought the contest was a good launch base for people looking for a career in performance arts.

“The X Factor seems a distant memory now.” she said “I don't think the show lends itself to people looking for a career in theatre because most of the people who go up for the X Factor have had no training in singing or acting - I know I haven't!”

She felt that life after the X Factor was hard for some and disappointing for many, and considered herself “very lucky that the lovely Bill Kenwright (producer of many shows including Blood Brothers) and his team saw me and thought I could be a Mrs J. “I'm very proud of the fact that I am the first leading lady to come from the show and that I'm still going!”

The last time Niki was in Aberdeen was as part of The X Factor Live tour. She recalled visiting a beautiful church to light a candle for her father as it was his birthday and going to the pub opposite for a pint or two!

The conversation then turned to Blood Brothers and the character she plays in the show.

“Mrs Johnstone is a great role to play and came very naturally to me - she is me but with a Scouse accent!” Niki remarked. “I have two sons and feel everything I'm playing as if they were mine for real.”

She explained: “Some nights it's very hard to keep myself together at the end and if I haven't seen my boys for a few days, oh dear I can end up in a right mess.”

Her favourite songs from the production are Marilyn Monroe 3, Light Romance and Bright New Day. Niki confessed that she loved all the songs in the show and recalled crying her eyes out at Barbara Dickson singing Easy Terms while she was learning the show numbers.

Finally we discussed the pressures of family life and touring and Niki commented: ”I am very much looking forward to touring as I've been in the West End for 18 months and I miss being out and about.

“I miss the North! And the school hols will be in force so my kids can come and stay with me - even though they are taller than me now they will always be Mummy’s little boys!”

Martin Gallagher

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From Blue Suede Shoes to Scrooge... Tommy Steele’s six-decades of success West End and Broadway legend Tommy Steele is back in the title role of Ebeneezer Scrooge in the spectacular family musical Scrooge at His Majesty’s Theatre this November.

Bill Kenwright’s production serves up all the magic, mystery and Dickensian delights one would expect of this classic Christmas tale.

“It is just a fantastic show. It’s got everything … excitement, magic, scary scenes, and the music and songs tell a wonderful story, which is true to the Dickens original.”

Tommy Steele is a veteran performer. He’s appeared at the London Palladium more times than any other artist and has enjoyed huge success on both sides of the Atlantic – both as an actor and a musician.

His career spans back to 1956 when the 19-year-old guitar player travelled the world as a sailor in the merchant navy.

“It was midsummer in 1956 and I’d seen Buddy Holly in Virginia and later heard Blue Suede Shoes in New York. I came back to England and played Blue Suede Shoes in a coffee bar in London - the English audience had never heard anything like it. The hits didn’t travel across the Atlantic very quickly back then.

So when I brought this new rock ’n roll/country music back to England, I got noticed.”

The coffee bar appearance marked the start of a meteoric rise to fame. Within a few days, Steele was frontman for a rock ’n roll band called The Steelmen. Weeks later, their debut single, Rock with the Caveman, reached number 13 in the UK charts in September. By the end of 1956, The Steelmen had their first number one – Singing the Blues – and Tommy Steele was becoming the ‘British Elvis’. How did he cope with the instant fame?

“It all happened in days. I wasn’t from a show-business background, so I didn’t really know any better. I suppose I just assumed everyone in the industry did the same. That’s how it was and that’s how it stayed.”

In 1957, Steele’s career took a different path after he appeared in pantomime in Liverpool where he “had to dance, sing, and do comedy routines… all of a sudden I was in a musical and I loved it.” By the start of the 1960s, he had starred in three films and appeared in his first Royal Variety show. His next major stage show, Half a Sixpence, enjoyed major success in the West End and on Broadway.

“My career has been like a race – a wonderful series of jumps.

But sooner or later you’ll have to face Beecher’s Brook, and the challenge is how you take that jump.”

Tommy Steele has taken each jump with relish. With Half a Sixpence, the challenge was dancing, especially in America, where the choreography was much more demanding.

Working with the likes of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire might have been daunting, but Steele took it all in his stride.

“I worked with Fred and Gene in the same year. It was a master class… how they handled the dance and the songs. Their style was very different – Gene like a Range Rover, while Fred the Rolls Royce – but they both got the job done! At the time I was too busy asking questions to think that I was actually up there with Gene Kelly. I had to concentrate on what I had to learn and whether they were going to like me. Only looking back did it really sink in.”

With a career that spans six decades, it’s incredible that Steele can find the strength to carry on with the physical demands of the stage.

“It all depends on how good the role is. Scrooge is one of the best three roles of my career – it’s a role that takes you along the crest of a wave… it takes you by the scruff of the neck for two and a half hours. That makes the journey effortless. It’s a magical ride.”

Leon Gray

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Win FOUR personal training sessions on revolutionary new fitness system APA FRIENDS are delighted to announce their newest partner Rodrigo Aspe Personal Training. His relatively new and simple exercise technique is taking the North-East by storm, as it is lower impact and less stress than a spinning class yet burns more calories!

The TRX suspension training equipment looks deceptively simple: two long nylon straps with padded loops at each end into which you put your hands or feet. The straps then attach firmly at the other end of any solid surface, such as a door frame, or even a tree if you're exercising outdoors.

The exercises - almost 300 all together - use gravity and your own bodyweight to sculpt your muscles. Many are done standing up, holding on to the straps, but others are done with your feet in the straps, so you are suspended off the ground while exercising.

It’s the training technique used by American footballers to keep their bodies in shape, supple and injury free. But the TRX training technique can be just as beneficial to those who just want to keep themselves trim, toned and in good condition.

It’s an ideal alternative to working out if you're bored with weights and sit-ups. You can combine the exercises with your usual workout, or try a one-hour session.

Devised by an ex US Navy Seal commander, fans of TRX include Jennifer Lopez, Gwen Stefani and Tobey Maguire and now the TRX system has been brought to Aberdeen by Scottish personal trainer Rodrigo Aspe.

Developing tailored training programmes for men and women across the North East, Rodrigo is, with the help of TRX, helping people turn pounds into muscle.

A qualified fitness instructor with his own business, he is happy to come to people’s homes in and around Aberdeen because none of the routines require the use of a gym. He says:

WIN !

“The TRX training technique is very low impact, so there's no heavy sweating or jumping around and hurting your joints – but it does burn even more calories than spinning. Because the user can effortlessly control the resistance and level of difficulty by simple shifting the position of their body TRX can be used for gentle rehabilitation, athletic training and everything in between.

“You feel your whole body waking up and it's like your best stretch and tone ever. It's all very safe and I can develop and tailor sessions to meet your desired needs. I can assure you though, it will work muscles you never knew you had.”

For the opportunity to put the TRX system to the test and feel the results for yourself, Rodrigo is offering APA Friends an offer of buy four lessons in advance and take a friend for free.

We are also offering you the chance to win four personal training sessions with Rodrigo worth £120! All you have to do is answer the question below:

Which Hispanic actress/singer is using the TRX workout system?

Answers on a postcard to: MARTIN GALLAGHER MUSIC HALL UNION STREET ABERDEEN AB10 1QS Find out more at www.rodrigoaspe.co.uk

ANOTHER EXLCUSIVE PARTNER OFFER FOR APA FRIENDS! Show your card and receive 20% off your total bill.

Valid at Aberdeen restaurant only.

It’s not just discounted tickets with APA FRIENDS...

Show your APA FRIENDS card at any of our partners and receive exclusive discounts*.

*Offers are correct at time of publication. Subject to change at any time without notice.