IT is a Scottish theatre classic that first took to the stage more than 30 years ago. Now The Steamie is returning with the first of a run of performances at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow tonight.
The Steamie?
The comedy-drama is set in a Glasgow wash-house and follows the lives of a group of women as they try to get their laundry completed in the run up to the Hogmanay bells in 1953, with their chatter at the heart of the play.
A wash-house?
For the uninitiated, the "steamie" was a communal facility where the clothes were cleaned in the pre-washing machine era and on Hogmanay, it was a tradition for everything to be cleaned for the New Year –the house, clothes, curtains…
If you are the "talk of the steamie"?
The saying lives on, meaning you are the subject of hot gossip, just as you would have been discussed by the women as they did their laundry back in the day.
The play is one of Scotland’s biggest theatre success stories?
It is now, but was initially rejected repeatedly by theatres and TV production firms. Then in stepped the Wildcat Theatre Company, which had been offered an out-of-the-blue grant for a play specifically about a community and had no time to commission one. It took a chance on The Steamie, that had been criticised for having no plot as such, rather focusing on the women’s conversation as a narrative.
Tony Roper’s the writer?
Now 78, Glasgow-born Roper is the writer and director. His first major starring role was in the sketch show, Scotch and Wry, starring Rikki Fulton.
It was memorably filmed for STV?
First staged at Jordanhill College in Glasgow in 1987, an enduring version was made by STV for Hogmanay 1988, starring Dorothy Paul, Katy Murphy, Eileen McCallum and Peter Mullan.
The Steamie was revolutionary?
Mr Roper said it broke new ground “because it was written by an actor", adding: “That doesn't fit into the plan that actors act, writers write and directors direct. It also featured a lot of women which was unusual. Most plays were all men with a token woman. This was all women with a token man. At the time, all of the plays about women were feminist plays. They had a point to prove. Although ‘The Steamie’ didn't preach a message, it was revolutionary for its day.”
It’s back in Glasgow?
It takes to the stage of the SSE Hydro tonight, with the last performance of the run on Hogmanay.
Roper is glad to see his work return to the city?
He said: “In my late 40s I sat down with a Biro and a jotter and wrote my first ever play. Over three decades later, the play is still getting the laughs and the cries, connecting with another generation of Scots.
"I cannot wait to bring the show – with more music and a spectacular cast – to the country’s biggest entertainment venue.”
MAUREEN SUGDEN
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here