What’s on: A sell-out in Glasgow this humorous, gritty, quintessential Glaswegian play comes to Fife
Prepare to be transported back to the 1970s Glasgow for a rollercoaster ride of love, laughs and life experience in this acclaimed production.
“I’ll never forget my wedding day,” Joanna tells the audience in the opening lines of a play which will take you back to 1976 and the aspirations of a young, vibrant, happy Joanna falling in love, then seeing her hopes of going to college dashed when she finds herself pregnant.
Up A Close is pure Glasgow nostalgia, with characters that will resonate across Scotland, where everyone will know an ‘Auntie Sandra’ or a ‘Moira’.
When Joanna’s husband fails to return home one night, she begins to reflect on her life from her tenement flat in Partick.
The all-female cast take the audience through this quintessential Glaswegian story through words, the memories and the lived experiences of one woman, Joanna. The play moves from the woman of today – lonely, isolated, bullied and abused by her husband, separated from her children who, now grown up, live on the other side of the world – back in time to the young girl in her prime, when the Bay City Rollers topped the charts and we all sang Shang-a-Lang with the rest of the gang.
Remember Clatty Pats?
Tina Conway (nee Kingsman), is the writer behind Up A Close. She was born and raised in Maryhill in the north of Glasgow, and set her sights on being in the fashion and entertainment industry. In the 1980s she set up and was part owner of the famous Cleopatra’s Nightclub on Great Western Road. “Clatty Pats” became a legendary venue of Glasgow's nightlife. She’s also organised fashion shows for some top names in the industry, including Vivienne Westwood and Christian La Croix.
‘Up a Close’ is her first play and a draws on a lifetime of Glasgow memories and characters, something which clearly resonates with the audience.
“I have always written things,” she says, “But for decades I have known women who were victims of domestic abuse. I have seen it since I was 10 years old.” It is something which, she says, cuts across class and social backgrounds, across ages and generations.
When, in her 60s, she discovered a friend of the same age was in a bullying and abusive marriage, it spurred her on to capture these women’s stories in a play.
After every performance people will come up to me, or the cast and say: ‘Did you know my mum?’ or ‘Did you know my Auntie Sandra’,” says Tina. “Anyone who grew up in Scotland around this time – especially in the cities – will recognise these characters.
Tough themes, tender moments, lots of laughs
The play is gritty, and doesn’t shy away from some of the tough things in Joanna’s life including her coercive, controlling and abusive husband.
Alongside the dark moments, there is humour. “It is a funny play,” says Tina. “There’s humour in the steamie, or going up the dancing. One moment the audience will be crying and the next they are laughing.”
Don’t miss the show
The play, directed by Victor Kennedy, who has over three decades of experience directing Scottish writers, was a sell-out at its recent run of five productions at The Pavilion in Glasgow. It has been nominated for several awards in the past, and will once again tour Scotland this summer and autumn.
To sell out the Pavilion Theatre is quite the feat for this little show and it heads out on a Scottish tour in the autumn. Up A Close is a bold Scottish theatre production that is hard-hitting but remains uplifting.
There have been multiple sell-out shows the length and breadth of Scotland from Dumfries to the far north.
Having previously sold out The Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy, the production is delighted to be returning to Fife.
Local audiences can catch the show at the end of summer when it appears at the following venues:
Rothes Halls, Glenrothes, Wednesday, 27th August ,2.30pm and 7.30pm
Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline on Saturday October 17th, 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
To find out more, and to book tickets, visit the website here