Ka and myself went along to the Tron on Friday night to see this, entering the buzz of the small Glasgow theatre through the bar, unsurprisingly. The atmosphere was lively and laid back as a large crowd gathered in the stylish bar half an hour before that night’s performance. There was a real buzz in the air and you could tell that more than a few folk, waiting to see the production, had been aware of the play’s good reviews that it had been enjoying in the newspapers throughout the past month.
I hadn’t been aware and wasn’t even expecting very much from the play, which I’d barely even heard of. I’ve never even seen ‘Casablanca’ (movie buffs shout “wwhhhhhaaaaatttt?!” now, if you wish).
“Casablanca - The Gin Joint Cut” was the best theatre I’ve seen in ages. In fact this probably doesn’t say a lot, considering I’ve only been around three times in the past six months. But it was great anyway. Great acting, great laughs, great story, great inspiration and a great homage.
The story begins with three Scottish actors given the job of performing the immortal (supposedly, I wouldn’t know, I’ve never seen it - “wwhhhhhaaaaatttt?!”) love story Gavin Mitchell, of ‘Still Game’ fame, playing Bogart’s role of Rick Blaine opposite Claire Waugh’s Ilsa and Jimmy Chisolm’s various other, many characters fantastically performed which he seemingly switches between with, well, perhaps not ease, but certainly with great want for trying and brilliant comic timing. Moments after the laughs die from the last joke, Waugh and Mitchell keep the love story poignant and true to the inspiration, even as they struggle to refrain from lighting up on the small budget and with the health and safety concerns in Scottish theatres.
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