There was yet another full house at Barrfields Pavilion Theatre last week for the one-man show, Dear Billy, a National Theatre of Scotland production, written and performed by Gary McNair.

The show was the duration of a football match (90 minutes to you, madam) with no interval. I couldn't get a ticket - even with my connections - but I'm told that it was a populist, funny and poignant collage of the life and times of 'national treasure' Billy Connolly. 

I also believe that The Big Yin forbade most of his material being used because, presumably, nobody tells his stories like he does!

More than 450 folk snapped up the tickets for the Largs venue, one of a select number of theatres in Scotland chosen. When Billy actually played at Barrfields in 1977 I was invited into the top dressing room and handed a can of Tartan's beer as we chatted. See me, see celebrity.

Largs and Millport Weekly News: The Billy Connolly tribute show, Dear Billy, brought another capacity audience to the Barrfields

It was another feather in the cap of Barrfields Theatre Users' Group (BUG), the voluntary body which has revived the fortunes of the long-established seafront venue which is under the management of KA Leisure, although greatly financed by the council.

Since re-activating after the mad pandemic lockdown BUG has orchestrated a series of sell-out shows by tribute bands for The Beatles, Queen, The Eagles etc - supplementing the first class offerings of Largs Players, the Operatic Society and local youth theatre. This week the Scottish Chamber Orchestra was checking into town for their summer tour of The Lark Ascending. A real tick in the box for Barrfields.

Such is the stature of the 80-year-old theatre - the only one in North Ayrshire - that funding is being secured  to appoint a co-ordinator to oversee the programme for the next three years. There are very few towns of a similar size in Scotland that can attract such a top level of entertainment so consistently, and the local citizens are, thankfully, turning up in their droves. BUG's income is supplemented by licensing and running the small bar.

So, it was interesting to stumble upon a discussion on yon Fleecebook social media platform where the question was posed: "What's the best show you've seen in Barrfields?"

Fiona Beaton popped up to say "All the operatic shows my sister was in." Eagles fan Ellie Cochran said "Hotel California", which was staged recently.  Another recent week-long show, "Calendar Girls", was the choice of Millie McCann.

Perhaps the tone was lowered when 'Shaggy Bhoy' reminisced on "me cutting shapes in the 90s raves at the Rave Cave in Barrfields."  I must have missed that.

Gus McLean told us that he was the DJ when Wet Wet Wet performed alongside local bands, Strip and This Perfect Heart. However, for sheer nostalgia you couldn't beat Andy Corney, who remembered that at Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade in the 80s, he fell and lost his autograph. Aw.

The venue also doubled as a sports arena, with Steven Reid remembering big-time wrestling with such legends as Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks "many a moon ago".

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

Veteran folk like yours truly and Linda Cannon posted about Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy as Francie and Josie, alongside Andy Stewart, Moira Anderson and Kenneth McKellar.  Iain Scott had the most honest comment in "Half A Sixpence, because my daughter Rachel was the lead female. Not bragging, just saying."

What was mine, you ask, sir?  Well, I loved playing Daddy Warbucks in Annie and, if you forgive my cheesy ending...when I sang "the sun will come out tomorrow" I could well have been singing about Barrfields.

Many local folk will also recall Largs Players' original show, 'Caledonia USA' when famous Largs duo Benny Gallagher and Graham Lyle appeared each night to perform live.

ps BUG will be advertising for the part-time paid Co-ordinator role very soon and I believe a local person will be preferred.

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Thought for the Week: Middle age is when you still have the spark but it takes more puffing.

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Not a week goes by without local newspapers, like this blessed blatt, taking authorities to task over what often seems to be daft or dodgy decisions.

I remember that my first week of writing this page five years ago expressed dismay at how quickly the council knocked down the historic pavilion and public toilets in Douglas Park, Largs after some local residents demanded their closure as youths were gathering there.

In over 50 years in journalism I had never known a council to do anything virtually 'overnight', but I knew it was a cover-up of dodgy decision-making at bureaucratic level.

In recent months the 'News' has exposed the incredible vote to spend more than £300,000 on 'repairing' the toilets on the prom, thousands on the new cheap benches and the continuing litter problems - all paid for, incidentally, out of the community seafront car park fund.

At a national level, persistent Freedom of Information requests have, after years, revealed that the Edinburgh trams inquiry has cost £13m since it began...wait for it...in 2014, including more than a million pounds paid to retired judge Lord Hardie who hasn't even published his report! The Scottish Government tried to hide these figures.

So, papers may have their detractors, but you'll miss us when we've gone.