Ian McLaren-Thomson

Ian—who confesses to being ‘a little older than many of the chorus’—was until recently a ‘musical virgin’. He has only remained amateur or ‘semi-pro’, through cowardice and an indulgent lifestyle that demands a more secure support system than professional theatre would be able to offer. Seriously, though, Ian has been playing objectionable old men in straight drama for the best part of four decades, beginning with an Edinburgh Festival Fringe production by Fourovus Theatre of Pinter’s Caretaker in the early 1970s.

Most recently, he was the most irked of Twelve Angry Men in the acclaimed Theatrefusion production and played the low-life ‘father figure’ in the premiere of Mark Westbrook’s crusty and incisive drama, Swingboats. After that, the rôle of Abner in 42nd Street was a pushover! Ian also understudied for Brad Pitt in his latest Hollywood blockbuster, then woke up with a jolt when the radio alarm clicked on.