Smile: ‘Lots of interest’ in Dundee Rep play

The statue at Tannadice is not the only way Jim McLean is being remembered this year, as rehearsals are under way for a play about the Dundee United legend’s life.

The play, titled Smile, will debut at Dundee Rep Theatre on February 18 and ticket sales are said to be healthy so far.

The show was written by Phil Differ and tells how McLean dealt with life both in and out of football during his successful tenure at Tannadice.

A spokeswoman said: “There’s been a lot of interest in the play. Tickets sales are doing really well.

“The cast and crew have just started rehearsals and overall are happy with how it is going.

“There’s been a lot of interest in the show and it’s getting quite a lot of social media engagement.

“Sales have been good, but it’s a long enough run that there is plenty of tickets still available.”

Director Sally Reid said there are many fascinating stories about the iconic manager, which has made squeezing them all in a struggle.

She said: “It all came about when Phil was up in Dundee and wanted to do more theatre writing.

“He has got a strong connection with Scottish football and he happened to meet Jim McLean at a media conference and he just thought, ‘there’s another side to that man that people don’t know about’.

“So when he saw Dundee Rep he thought maybe that’s just the theatre piece he could write.

“We’ve worked closely with Jim’s wife Doris and family and they’ve been very supportive.”

The play will premier for preview shows on February 18 and 19, before officially launching on February 20.

It will run until March 7.