Play Pie and a Pint: Saint One @ Oran Mor

It’s an unbeatable premise.  One of Scotland’s favourite actresses takes on the Big Yin himself.  Oh and it’s set in a chippie.  If ever there was a crowd pleaser, Lesley Hart’s new play Saint One is it.

It’s been a bad weekend for Edinburgh journalist Walter.  Not only has he missed the scoop on Billy Connolly but he’s stranded on a floating chip shop in the North Sea with a woman who thinks she’s the Big Yin himself.  It’s up to chip shop girl Kelly to unite them all and find a way home.

Unlikely scenario aside, Saint One is just good fun.  Having recently performed as Susan Boyle in I Dreamed a Dream, Elaine C Smith tackles another Scottish icon and gives voice to her inner Billy Connolly.  Her highly comic performance anchors the play and, in addition to Helen Mackay’s very cheery Kelly, gives the play its heart.

While the conceit provides a fantastic platform for Smith, it also tends to dominate the play; at times it feels like the storyline has been moulded solely to fit Connolly’s routines. And yet beneath the laughs the overall mood is quite sombre.  On one level Saint One is about identity, on another it’s about grief.  While there is heartache for Walter (Ewan Donald), the real gravitas is found in the Geraldine’s story.  

Deeper themes aside, Saint One is just as much a celebration of local identity and the many moments of recognition for the Òran Mór audience prove that everyone loves Billy.