In South Bend, story of doomed American romance in his 20s
“By night-time I was dragging my case around and it was literally sparking off the pavement.
“Then I found myself in this ghetto project and, thankfully, I was rescued by a bloke who said to me, in very dramatic voice, ‘Get in the car if you want to live.’”
Amazingly, the AfricanAmerican guy who’d rescued Martin revealed he’d been in a similar situation once in Italy, thanks to a failed romance.
“He knew exactly what was going through.
“He even gave me money so
‘‘ I was rescued by a bloke who said to me, ‘Get in the car if you want to live’
I I was able to fly home.”
It’s a tale of young love that had to be told – and the result is South Bend, in which he is aided by Jess Chanliau, a recent RCS graduate who plays Angel and about 20 other characters, and Dave Pollock as Martin’s conscience, a sort of Jiminy Cricket voice.
These days, Martin is married with kids – but that may never have happened if he’d taken a maddie and run off to Vegas and married his fragile US creature, I suggest.
“Well, it’s funny you should say that,” he says, laughing. “We did take a mad road trip to Vegas one time and it very nearly happened.
“Thankfully, that wee voice in my head appeared to tell me it was not quite right.”
His American girl must have been some actress to be able to convince him she was worth a trip to the Elvis Chapel...?
“What she had done was get out of small town America and reinvent herself, just as so many Hollywood stars had done in the past.
“She had changed her name and moved on from her past life.”
He adds: “But, yes, I’m glad it worked out the way it has.”
Indeed. He can now focus on writing and looking after the kids while his wife, Kirsty, films the BBC drama Shetland.
But what did Kirsty say about him writing a play about a former lover?
“I think she was mortified. But I did explain that you’re a very different person in your 20s. And I tell myself folk have done worse.”
South Bend is on at The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, until Saturday.