Boom Town/Capital Converse @ The Glad Cafe
A double bill of new writing showcases Scottish playwriting talent at The Glad Cafe
January feels like it’s ten weeks long, but a double bill of new writing by Mikey Burnett will keep us ticking along post panto season. Yet while the venue, The Glad Cafe, is nestled deep in the south side of Glasgow, its stories are set firmly in the heartlands of Scotland’s capital, Edinburgh.
We kick off the evening with Boom Town. A struggling Scottish playwright (Mollie Reading) returns, somewhat reluctantly, to the welcoming bosom of her hometown after struggling to make it in London. Directed by Jenny Tamplin, the energetic monologue is filled with witty one-liners and Reading manages to take the audience on a journey with her. While the short piece is performed with great energy and pace, some of the impact is lost in its speed and could do with taking a breath or two. Nevertheless, the story is one many of us who have left home for ‘The Big Smoke’ will relate to, and there’s a lovely poignancy at the close of the performance.
Then Capital Converse bursts onto the stage. Frank (Jack Jarvis Gouther) and Malky (Gregor Mackay) are best pals, and have been for years. Both struggling to make ends meet, Malky feels particularly hard done by. Barely a pound to his name, and having just been dumped by the love of his life, he’s struggling to see the positives in life.
Directed by Lana Pheutan, Capital Converse is the feature-length piece of the evening. Burnett’s writing is unmistakeable – the same snappy dialogue is present here as in Boom Town, and works well with Gouther and Mackay’s portrayal of the suffering friends. Malky undeniably has the lion's share of wisecracks and jokes – a role which Mackay seems like he was born to perform. Yet when the play takes a more emotional turn, he’s able to switch into that with ease. Though he's rough around the edges, it’s hard not to empathise with Malky; he’s been wronged and most of us have been there. Gouther, in turn, provides the steady counterpoint to these emotional swings.
Overall, Burnett has a strong voice and, as he laments the challenge of using Scots in plays during Boom Town, it’s hard not to wonder if this is at all autobiographical. A powerful Scottish playwright, Burnett’s double bill might be just what we need to get through the cold, dark days of January.
The Glad Cafe, Glasgow, until Thu 17 Jan, tickets: https://www.