Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, January 2004

THIS IS a case, I suspect, of the whole being more than the sum of its parts. The parts being John Byrne’s The Slab Boys, Cuttin’ a Rug and Still Life, three plays that follow two young men from a day in the paint-mixing room of a Paisley carpet factory to the staff dance that night, and on ten years to the graveside of one of their colleagues. Watching the plays individually, as I did, over a period of two months, their weaknesses were clear to see. But whatever my reservations, I don’t hesitate to recommend that you see all three in the same day when they play back-to-back at Eden Court Theatre on 14 February.

Original performance of The Slab Boys first performed at the Traverse Theatre on 6 April 1978 © Traverse Archive

In that context, you’ll be able to see the scale of the Traverse Theatre’s project with clarity. To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Edinburgh company has taken the unusual step of reviving one of its greatest hits (unusual, that is, for a company dedicated to staging the new). First seen in the late-70s and early-80s when a young Robbie Coltrane was in the cast, the plays were loudly celebrated for the vigour of Byrne’s Paisley patter and his vision of a nation at a crucial turning-point between post-war austerity and 60s idealism. There are themes about class, religion, mental health, ambition and sexuality, and above all they were very funny.

To see all three plays together will not only be to appreciate the Herculean task for the actors – notably Paul Thomas Hickey as the wickedly nihilistic Phil McCann, and Iain Robertson as his partner in crime Spanky Farrell – but also to enjoy the full effect of Byrne’s imaginative verve and theatrical flair. A day with this talented company, with stand-out performances from Molly Innes, John Kazek, Dawn Steele and Una McLean, will feel like a great communal event.

Individually, however, you might find it harder to work out what all the fuss was about. It’s likely that they have found greater momentum since their first nights in Edinburgh, but on the strength of those performances, only Cuttin’ a Rug, directed by Philip Howard, had the kind of speed, confidence and swagger needed to do justice to Byrne’s dense and demanding script. Despite its dark themes, it worked as the funniest of the three.

The Slab Boys is the better play but, directed by Roxana Silbert, it lacked the rough edge needed to set it alight. You could admire the language, enjoy the performances and chuckle at the gags, but there was an air of restraint that kept it away from the delirious heights the play deserves. Still Life is in any case the weakest of the three plays, feeling more like a meditative interlude than a grand finale, and Silbert’s production did little to change that impression.

But context is all important and to see the whole picture will be a very different experience.

The Slab Boys Trilogy can be seen at Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, on these dates: The Slab Boys, 10, 11, 12 February 2004; Cuttin’ a Rug, 11, 13 February; Still Life, 14 February 2004; all three plays will be presented on 14 February 2004.

© Mark Fisher, 2004