DEAR BILLY - REVIEW - KING’S THEATRE GLASGOW

Dear Billy, you would laugh too.

It must be a disgrace to go to a show called Dear Billy without knowing much more about Billy Connolly other than his name, I thought to myself whilst watching old YouTube clips in a hurry before leaving for the show. Arrival at the theatre quickly proves me right – the queues spread throughout the whole street, the excitement at its peak, and the production’s obvious love for the Big Yin mirrored by the gathered audience.

Gary McNair introduces the show in a typical banter style which immediately warms up the audience. It’s clear that this National Theatre of Scotland production is simple in its design, with a cast of three, McNair who writes and performs and musicians Simon Liddell and Jill O’Sullivan, plus the wonderful BSL interpreter, Karen Forbes. But before taking us on a tour of Scotland’s characters, stories, and accents (oh dear, the accents), McNair highlights all the backstage work and the entire team that worked on getting this production on stage. Here, we are reminded that nothing is ever a ‘one-man show’; in this case, we may as well call it a nation’s show.

What’s meant to be an ode to Billy Connolly, Scotland’s beloved actor and comedian (and we get to find out what he thinks about having a show dedicated to him), almost immediately becomes its own beautiful journey through Alba, as the team behind Dear Billy collect different stories on Big Yin, now masterfully presented to us by the inspired and hysterical McNair. Like a perfectly woven tartan, everything and everyone falls into the right place amongst the chaotic re-telling of different tales under Joe Douglas’ spotless direction.

While, as audiences worldwide, we have long ago fallen victim to short attention spans looking for cheap thrills, I appreciate how hard it must be to keep a spotlight on one person throughout the entire show – this issue is nonexistent here. You feel as though you are sitting in a pub surrounded by locals, Dear Billy is more akin to a spontaneous night out, and the only thing missing is a cold pint (if you haven’t grabbed one) and my interpreter as I desperately try to catch some words which run away from me drowned out by never-ending laughter and beautiful music.

It’s not all laughs as McNair occasionally shares touching stories by people with life-changing memories of Connolly and I felt my face abruptly change from a wide smile to a teary eye. All this is possible thanks to great staging by Claire Halleran who gave us, the audience, and McNair a set that is not only fun, with lighting design by Simon Hayes and Kate Bonney perfectly capturing the atmosphere of each story, but also practical navigation of when a different story was told.

Now, I may have arrived late to the Billy Connolly bandwagon but I’m definitely here for Gary McNair, a bard in his own right and I cannot wait to watch other stories he decides to tell in the future. McNair reminds us that Scots are meant to be the best storytellers, this show being a perfect testimonial to the centuries-old belief. So, whether you’re a die-hard Connolly fan or an Outlander like me, I urge you to go see this show and feel the true warmth and spirit of Scottish storytelling.

Dear Billy is on at King’s Theatre Glasgow until the 24th of June – find out more here!

{🎟 AD: PR Invite – Tickets gifted in exchange for an honest review}

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