Gayle Rankin takes on Miss Jean Brodie as new tour opens in Edinburgh

Gayle Rankin is Miss Jean Brodie in a new National Theatre of Scotland production that opened at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum Theatre.

The staging is a new adaptation by David Harrower, directed by Vicky Featherstone, according to WhatsOnStage. It begins a tour in Edinburgh. The Lyceum is the first stop.

The adaptation is based on the novel by Muriel Spark. The story is set at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls. Brodie is a junior-school teacher there.

Rankin leads a company that mixes teachers, schoolgirls and authority. Brian Ferguson plays the music master. Dyfan Dwyfor plays the art teacher.

Bobby Rainsbury plays Sandy. Shreya Khaund Marshall plays Jenny. Liberty Black plays Mary, and Tallulah Greive plays Monica. Maureen Beattie plays headmistress Miss Mackay.

The design puts the audience in the classroom. Chloe Lamford designed a lecture theatre set for the production. Lewis den Hertog created video projections.

For anyone planning a visit, there are practical details to know. The Royal Lyceum Theatre lists the Edinburgh run as Fri 2 – Sun 18 Oct. The tour then continues until 7 Nov, according to The Telegraph.

The National Theatre of Scotland gives a running time of approximately three hours. It also advises that the production contains scenes of a sexual nature and partial nudity, according to the National Theatre of Scotland.

The opening has drawn national attention. WhatsOnStage has published a review of the Lyceum run and tour. The Guardian published its own review of the Royal Lyceum performance on 11 Oct.

What makes this stand out for theatregoers is familiarity. Many will know Brodie from the book and later film versions. Here she returns in a fresh adaptation built for the stage and for the road.