Review: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie | National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
Updated: 20 hours ago
Gayle Rankin sizzles as Muriel Spark's iconic teacher in the new NTS production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The play premiered in Edinburgh at the Lyceum this week, ahead of transferring to theatres in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Pitlochry through October and November. Read my review here.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie ★★★★☆
Review: 14 October 2026 | Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh
At the Marcia Blaine School for Girls in 1930s Edinburgh, the glamourous and unconventional Miss Brodie (Gayle Rankin) snubs the standard curriculum in favour of teaching her junior school girls about art, travel and politics. Each year she selects a handful of promising girls to take under her wing. The chosen few in "The Brodie Set" are afforded candid glimpses of Brodie's personal life and romances, but in return, the manipulative Jean Brodie expects lifetime loyalty.
For The National Theatre of Scotland and The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh's new production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, playwright David Harrower adapts Muriel Spark's hit novel to expertly showcase how the charming teacher - who declares that she is in her prime - moulds her impressionable pupils; even going so far as to lecture them on the merits of fascism.
Our curiosity is piqued from the opening scene of this new stage adaptation where some of the grown Brodie Set discuss their former teacher's death, and query whether one of them betrayed her. The action then shifts back to 1931 as two new girls arrive at the elite Edinburgh school and are assigned to Miss Brodie's class.
Gayle Rankin is electrifying as the charismatic, narcissistic teacher, and it's easy to see why the girls would be so readily won over by her magnetic presence. Rankin looks every inch the icon the second she claims the stage, commanding the audience's attention in Anna Orton's jaw-dropping, theatrical costumes that honour the characters' legendary status.
Guided by Vicky Featherstone's daring direction, Rankin is hypnotic as the darkly complex character leans into her sexuality, kicks off her animal print high-heeled shoes and psychologically shapes and exploits her girls. In an absolute tour de force performance, Rankin embodies every aspect of Brodie's razor sharp tongue and unflappable self-assurance.
There's excellent support from Maureen Beattie as the stern and pragmatic headmistress, Miss Mackay and Dyfan Dwyfor as the licentious art teacher, Mr Lloyd, while Brian Ferguson is superb as the kind-hearted choirmaster besotted with Miss Brodie, Mr Lowther.
The Brodie Set girls - Liberty Black, Sophie Fortune, Tallulah Greive, Shreya Khaund Marshall and Bobby Rainsbury - are wonderful, with distinct personalities and clear roles. Subtle changes in the girls' outfits in act II indicate their coming of age; each one of Orton's creative costume designs hinting at a deeper meaning, as well as being visually beautiful and arresting.
Although the story remains fixed in the 1930s and 1940s, Vicky Featherstone's production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for The National Theatre of Scotland feels wonderfully contemporary.
Featherstone seamlessly integrates avant-garde fashion and modern technical stage craft with Muriel Spark's enduring characters and a timeless exploration of the danger of absolute authority.
The cast navigate the stepped playing surface of Chloe Lamford's pink amphitheatre set, while at times, a sizeable central lighting fixture descends from the heavens like a spaceship coming in to orbit. With sumptuous flowing curtains and beaded textures surrounding the stage punctuated by Lewis den Hertog's striking video designs, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is an aesthetically breathtaking and impressive three hours in the theatre.
Yes three hours! But despite its daunting runtime, this production is beautifully paced. The narrative is so rich and compelling, and Gayle Rankin is so alluring, the duration is justified. The plot has the room it needs to breathe and develop while providing us generous time with an outstanding portrayal of a truly glorious character. ★★★★☆
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is at The Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh until Sunday 18 October
The show then transfers to The Citizens Theatre, Glasgow from 21 to 24 October, His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen from 29 to 31 October, and finally to Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 4 to 7 November 2026.
MORE: Read the full cast announcement and find the full Scottish tour dates for NTS The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie here
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