Dear Billy @ Kings Theatre, Glasgow

A banana peel, a big welly boot, and an enormous pair of round Windsor specs brightly light the stage, instantly signifying the one-and-only Billy Connolly. “That man," the audience will later hear, “is luminous." Dear Billy: A Love Letter to the Big Yin has been touring Scotland, evolving with every show into a patchwork quilt of hilarious and poignant stories all demonstrating how the quintessential Glasgow man has shaped the lives of so many. 

“This show has been a long time in the making,” says writer and performer Gary McNair, who jokes that Connolly himself asked, “Could you no wait till am deid?” The answer, of course, was no. McNair said Connolly had to know just what he meant to so many people, and that is exactly what Dear Billy, under the steady direction of Joe Douglas, achieves. 

Over the course of 90 minutes, McNair delivers verbatim the stories of countless people, each with a unique, wild story of the shipyard welder turned comedy treasure. From the men who remember his jokes from the Clydeside docks to the women who insist they pushed him in the pram, the stories of Connolly’s impact are as far-reaching as they are profoundly heartwarming.

There are, of course, the critics. From the Protestant and Catholic outrage alike, to the envy of his fellow welders who claim he stole their patter, those with a grudge against the Big Yin also get their say in this collage of tales.

McNair is an enthralling storyteller who pivots effortlessly from one distinct voice to the next. All manner of genders and generations have their voices heard as he bounces from mic-to-mic, adopting a different persona each time.

Gary McNair (centre), Simon Liddell and Jill O'Sullivan on stage, performing Dear Billy. Photo: Sally Jubb

Dear Billy would not have been possible without the National Theatre of Scotland’s team of story gatherers: Robbie Gordon, Jacqueline Houston, Genevieve Jagger, and Jamie Marie Leary. Then there are the People of Scotland themselves, who were interviewed in every kind of location, including Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, Govan, and the bingo halls. The show also includes a soft backing of folk music, performed by Simon Liddell and Jill O’Sullivan.

The use of a tapestry of stories and voices is not a new concept for McNair, who adapted a similar style for Locker Room Talk (2017), in which he interviewed men in response to Donald Trump’s infamous “Grab ‘em by the pussy” comment. The “love letter” style also reflects his 2017 Fringe show Letters to Morrissey, in which he documents a one-sided correspondence with the Smiths frontman.

Connolly, however, is a far more unifying subject, and this almost universal affection is reflected in the palpable joy from the audience. Dear Billy is a vivid, charismatic piece of theatre, every bit deserving of a laugh from The Big Yin himself.

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Dear Billy: A Love Letter to the Big Yin, run ended
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