Hit comedy returns to city stage after sell- out success
IN April last year, a split second of silence hung in the air as the spotlight faded on the final scene of This Is Where We Get Off befor e thunderous applause all but threatened to take the roof off Websters Theatre.
The debut performance of this smash hit comedy was the culmination of months of gruelling effort from local playwrights Ingram Noble, 24, and Heather Spiden, 25 who previously shared the story of their journey from page to stage with the Glasgow Times.
Looking back to the evening which earned them five- star reviews and critical acclaim, Heather said: “Seeing everything come together on the night felt so good.
“Months of blood, sweat, tears and more tears seemed like it had all paid off.”
“I didn’t sleep for six days before it,” Ingram admits. “That entire week felt like a blur.”
There is, as they say, no rest for the wicked and almost a year on from their sell- out success, the talented duo is heading back for round two at Websters on Saturday, February 11.
With sharper jokes, shiny new cast members and a replenished stack of prophylactic ‘ balloons’ for just one of the play’s many bellylaugh- inducing moments the team is feeling stronger than ever.
Heather said: “Last time around felt like a case of survival, trying to make it work and hanging on in any way that we could.
Ingram agreed: “We were a group of misfits and amateur independent actors who had started the show from scratch. Theatre is an expensive hobby and we had other things to do, but both knew that we would bring the show back.
“We hunkered down, became sponges for feedback and went back to that Covid style of writing where we sent scripts to one another.
“I think we’re close to version 753 on my computer now.”
Anyone fortunate enough to have been among the audience of last year’s show won’t have forgotten the dysfunctional and irresistibly eccentric Moffatt family who we followed as they tackled love triangles, baby bumps and the arrival of an estranged family member with hilarious, and sometimes harrowing, results.
Now, joining the cast as suspected two- timing father Philip, and adding a touch of star power proceedings, is John Stuart, whose hit indie play Dirty Water ( set in the housing schemes of Glasgow) will air on STV in March after being adapted for a sitcom format.
Heather said: “John is our little diamond in the rough and someone that we can really look up to.
“It feels like if he can make it work then we can do it too and he’s also talented. We’ve seen this play so many times but having new actors totally changes the dynamic and brings a bit of freshness to it.
“We’re still sitting in rehearsals laughing out loud.”
As they once again enter the final weeks before taking to the stage, there’s a spark of determination and hard- earned confidence in Heather and Ingram’s words as they strive to build on the momentum they have created.
Ingram said: “Theatre is something that a lot of people can be intimidated by because it still has that reputation of being a bit ‘ hoity- toity’. That’s not what this show is.
“We focus a lot on the comedy aspect, but I’d bet money on the fact that almost every audience member can connect with the more serious themes like dealing with dementia.
“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry but also, we want people to walk away thinking ‘ that’s something we would like to do more often’ because after Covid local theatre companies need a local audience and bums on seats. It really is a show for everyone.”