THIS wasn’t supposed to happen. Scotland’s biggest indoor arena, the SSE Hydro (which opened its doors in 2013), was built for the purpose of hosting huge pop concerts and big name stand-up comedy shows. It was never intended to provide a home to a little comic play written by a Scottish actor-turned-playwright back in 1987.
Yet, between December 27 and 30 that is exactly what it did, when Tony Roper’s much-loved drama The Steamie took up residence.
Yes, The Hydro had already staged a trilogy of live shows based on hit TV sitcom Still Game, but bringing the aimless chat of four women in a Glasgow public washhouse on a New Year’s Eve in the 1950s into the immense arena was an altogether more daunting prospect.
At face value, there’s just no way that The Steamie has the potential, in atmospheric terms, to fill this enormous venue.
WATCH: Clips from Tony Roper's 'unforgettable' new Steamie
However, that would be to reckon without the capacity of this big-hearted, unashamedly nostalgic drama to fill any room, no matter how large, with good-natured, working-class humour.
It would also be to overlook the tremendous affection in which The Steamie is held by generations of, predominantly female, Scots.
On arriving at the venue, surrounded by crowds dominated by women and girls of all ages, one could sense that this was a gathering of a very dedicated fan base. Even with certain areas of the cavernous auditorium blocked off to make the seating more akin to that of a conventional theatre, this production (which Roper directed himself) was playing to more than 7000 people per show.
Having secured his audience, how would Roper pull off the more difficult trick of filling The Hydro, not only with people, but with enjoyment and laughter?
The answer comes, in part, in the introduction of a talented, 13-strong ensemble of musical theatre performers who get the show off to a bright start with Roper’s new opening song, an unapologetically wistful number about a Glasgow of shipyards and cheerful bobbies on the beat.
We will see this chorus again, singing and dancing their way through some of the original musical numbers written by Dave Anderson for the premiere production of the play (for Wildcat Theatre Company) in 1987.
However, for all that the show has been given a bit of West End musical theatre razzmatazz, the real winner remains the script itself.
READ MORE: The Steamie: Hydro production promises to be a historic one
From Magrit, Dolly and Doreen’s uncomprehending musings on men’s obsession with football, to old Mrs Culfeathers’ hilariously long-winded blethering about Galloway’s mince, each comic scene is welcomed by the audience like a familiar friend.
It helps that Roper has secured the services of a superb cast.
The excellent Mary McCusker (Mrs Culfeathers) and Fiona Wood (Doreen) have performed the drama before, and play it here with the same sense of timing and bonhomie you would expect in any of Scotland’s smaller theatres. It’s hugely to the show’s benefit that they are joined by the fabulous, often uproariously funny duo of Louise McCarthy (Magrit) and Gayle Telfer Stevens (Dolly), and the very talented Harry Ward (pictured left and delightfully comic as boozy engineer Andy).
In truth, it takes a little while to get used to the fact that this essentially intimate five-hander is being performed by mic’d up actors and with huge video screens on either side of the stage. However, the gentle humour of Roper’s script, a set of fabulous and fearless acting performances and a truly wonderful set (a quintessential series of washhouse stalls, created by leading stage designer Kenny Miller) combine to tame the beast that is The Hydro, and make this ambitious big arena show a very palpable hit.
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