The Broons

We had a lovely dinner at the Pipers Tryst restaurant this evening with Grandma, Ally, David and Chanel. The food was really good and it was a convivial occasion. Then we all went our separate ways; Chanel and David went to a concert, Ally went to a party, and the rest of us crossed the road to the Theatre Royal to see The Broons.

The Broons is a Scottish institution - a cartoon that has been published in the Sunday Post newspaper since 1936. My parents used to get the Glasgow Herald on weekdays, and the Sunday Post and the Sunday Express at the weekend, so I grew up with the cartoons Oor Wullie and The Broons. I had no idea that these newspapers were considered to be politically right wing until someone told me when I was in my early 20s - I was somewhat naive and it had never occurred to me that newspapers have political stances!

Anyway, I was keen to see The Broons because it was adapted for the stage by my friend Barbara's actor, playwright and director son, Rob Drummond. I wondered how on earth the old-fashioned cartoon would be translated to the stage. However Rob Drummond had done a great job of it; keeping the humour gentle and traditional, and poking fun at itself mildly which made the audience feel as if they were in in the joke. 

For example, the youngest Broon child was always known as "The Bairn" with no mention of her real name. In the play, a character says to Maw Broon,

"I've never heard the bairn's name!"

and Maw draws herself up disapprovingly and replies,

"And you never will!"

"Why not?"

"It's none of your business!"

This got a huge laugh from the audience. The plot (which mainly consisted of a series of misunderstandings with predictable but amusing consequences) was interspersed with songs popular song in the 1950s and 60s, sung by the talented cast, most of whom could also play musical instruments. It ended with a rousing medley of Scottish songs which had the audience on their feet joining in. It was all great fun.