When Dirty Dancing actor Mark McKerracher last hit an Aberdeen stage, he mostly remembers waking up to the bleating and smell of lambs at 6am.
Starring in the musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the time, Mark’s other guests at his accommodation were early risers.
However, the West End star seems to have loved it.
“It was great,” said Mark, who is soon to be bringing the old-school boss Max Kellerman to His Majesty’s Theatre for the popular theatre production Dirty Dancing.
“I stayed in a real working farm and I had lambs bleating by my window at six in the morning.
“I did really like it and I love the countryside there, it’s just beautiful.”
Fond memories of Scotland
Originally hailing from Pasadena, Mark holds many fond memories of Scotland, including sneaking into the Edinburgh Fringe Festival parade in 1984 with a two-man show.
Unfortunately the audience members were usually outnumbered but apparently it got a good write up in The Scotsman.
Another link is through his Scottish grandparents who met thanks to an overcoat and a mobster killing. But more on that later.
The American-born actor is donning a Brooklyn accent for his role as Max Kellerman, the boss of an upstate holiday resort set in the Catskills.
Based on the much-beloved film, Dirty Dancing follows the story of 17-year-old Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman as she becomes mesmerised by “pounding rhythms”, dance moves and one of the resort’s dance instructors, Johnny Castle.
Dirty Dancing is about a freedom movement
Describing it as a clash between the 50s and 60s, Mark said it was a story with many layers.
“It’s a great sort of morality story of someone being misunderstood,” he said.
“There’s a lot of very strong dramatic things happening in the show which all somehow manage to work out because these people are all decent in the end.”
In the on-stage production, many moments that “shook the world” such as Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech and the shooting of John F Kennedy are featured.
Remembering witnessing them as a child, Mark added: “These moments were very poignant moments but also defined what would happen next which was the freedom movement which was so incredibly important.
“That’s kind of what Dirty Dancing is about, it’s about a freedom movement which I really love.”
Hopes to mingle with Aberdonians and explore Scottish roots
The stage actor said he is looking forward to returning to the Granite city for cream teas, whisky and mingling with locals.
Although, he added accents on both sides could prove a cultural barrier, despite his own grandparents being from Scotland; they met in the 1800s when his Falkirk-born grandfather, William McKerracher, was laying low from mobsters.
His grandfather was known for his skills in gold leafing at the time and decorated many shops and balustrades for wealthy train magnates in Chicago.
One day, a colleague was working outside in a “particularly cold winter” so he offered him his overcoat.
Mark said: “They found that overcoat on a body (not his friend) and it was linked to a killing by some gangsters.
“And of course it had his name in there… and he had to get out of town so he came back to Scotland.”
Giving people something they can ‘go nuts for’ in a time of uncertainty
Ever since Mark’s mum pushed him into theatre aged 10 to get him out of the house, he has enjoyed many momentous highlights on stage.
Some of these include Mark taking on the prestigious role of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables on Broadway and the West End, to breaking the record for the highest attended show in Scottish theatre history as the Phantom for Phantom of the Opera at the Edinburgh Playhouse.
However, he said the magic of Dirty Dancing has been a “completely unique experience”.
At times, he admitted the audience’s rowdiness reminds him more of Chippendales than a world-class production, but by the end everyone is singing and dancing together.
“After the show, the roar of happiness leaving the theatre is extraordinary,” he said.
“There’s something extremely magical and healing about it. Especially after the couple of years we’ve had in this country.
“I think people are feeling a little apprehensive right now.
“And so I felt like we’re kind of doing a service giving them something they can go nuts at – but hopefully just at the end.”
The show will be at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen from October 17 to October 21. For information and tickets visit aberdeenperformingarts.com or call 01224 641122.
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