The Big Picnic @ Govan Pearce Institute

The Big Picnic was originally written by Bill Bryden in 1994. He directed and debuted it in Govan, to which Shoogalie Road Productions now bring it home seventeen years later, adapted and directed by Liam Lambie and Jemima Sinclair, each of whom also feature in the cast.

The cast are well dressed for a wedding and dance a merry dance along to traditional Scottish folk music. As they natter, an air of nostalgia settles over the really quite naturalistically-directed scene, but the merriment in short lived. It’s not long before the casual rejoicing of these early 20th century Weegies is cut short by the onset of the first Great War.

Particularly enjoyable is the recruitment scene, where volunteers show out to be knocked down a peg by Sergeant Colours, who whips them into shape with razor-sharp repartee. Christopher McKiddie gives a standout performance. The cast make a quick and very tangible transition from enthusiastic and sprightly to battle worn and hardened.

If you can excuse the occasional cliché (“I’m cold, so cold,” murmurs one hapless soldier) Bryden delivers strong and varied dialogue, decorated by an often-moving monologue and amusing conversational humour. The sing-songs never fail to lift the mood, as one may suppose was their purpose for recruits during those dark years of war. Many of the characters express anti-war sentiments which raise questions about how widespread the views represented were at the time of the setting, and once or twice recruits speak to their COs in tones impermissible, but the greatest bugbear of the script is the way the play ends rather abruptly rather than offering any strong resolution. Some of us hoped to see these boys out till 1918.

However, it's not all about the destination but the road travelled, and the Shoogalie Road has much to offer including some very strong performers.