Good clean fun as old favourite scrubs up very nicely
THE STEAMIE (SSE HYDRO)
A true wash-day wonder
★★★★✩
GIVEN its status as one of Scottish theatre’s most iconic and best loved shows, it was almost inevitable that The Steamie, Tony Roper’s smash hit comedy musical drama about a group of women chewing the fat in a Glasgow washhouse – the titular ‘steamie’ – on Hogmanay in the 1950s, would eventually make its way to the country’s largest entertainment venue.
The original, first staged in the 1980s, became as much a part of Hogmanay as first footing, black bun, and Auld Lang Syne, after it was originally screened on STV more than 30 years ago starring Dorothy Paul, Katy Murphy, eileen McCallum and Peter Mullan.
And i’m glad to report that this revamped arena production, directed by Roper himself for this short festive run – complete with big screens filled with black and white news snapshots from the era flanking the stage, and featuring more songs than ever before and even a ballroom dance number – loses none of its poignancy, intimacy, and ability to tug at the heart strings.
it’s often said that nothing much actually happens in The Steamie, which is true to an extent. And yet as four women: Dolly, Magrit, young dreamer Doreen and old timer Mrs Culfeathers toil at their labours to get their washing done before the bells – and offer support to each other and reflect on their hard lives and poke fun at their useless men – all life and community spirit of the era is fully evoked here. All of it delivered with a fine line in Glesca patter and patois, and brimming with sharply observed female camaraderie, and a rich, earthy humour, that is just the right side of sentimental.
For this production the show opens with a new, large-scale ensemble musical homage to the city of Glasgow, complete with a tram on set, that works a treat, and closes with a crowd pleasing rendition of Auld Lang Syne. But at its core the play remains untouched, offering up both a nostalgic trip down memory lane and a snapshot of a community on the brink of change: one where newfangled innovations such as having a telephone; dreams of having a house in the up and coming area of Drumchapel; or the introduction of laundrettes, are discussed in equal measures of awe and trepidation.
And rather than being dwarfed by its surroundings the show’s big-heartedness and comic brio fill the cavernous space with ease. For those more used to attending rock and pop gigs at the Hydro the fact that you can hear a pin drop throughout is a testament to the quality of writing, acting and music on show.
The only drawback in proceedings was a niggling, echoing reverb on stage that suggested the cast’s radio mics could do with being turned down a notch or two.
But that aside, the production is a real treat. This is due in no small measure to the excellent cast. Louise McCarthy makes for a suitably hard-nosed, softcentred Magrit; Gayle Telfer as Dolly is hilarious; Mary McCusker would bring a tear to a glass eye as the lonely Mrs Culfeathers, while Fiona Wood excels as bright-eyed optimist Doreen.
The Steamie runs until tomorrow.