When it first opened in 1987, The Steamie took the theatrical world
by storm. Set during the 1950s, the play takes place on Hogmanay in
a Glasgow public wash house or 'Steamie'. As the washing is done,
four women sing, laugh and cry their way through the last working
day of that year, with a little help from the increasingly not so
handy Andy. Portraying a way of life in the midst of change, The
Steamie fast became a firm favourite with people of all ages up and
down the land and, to this day, its popularity shows no signs of
waning. Half a century on, the way we work may have changed but,
whenever the play is staged, it can still strike a chord of
recognition in members of the audience and have them rolling in the
aisles with laughter one moment and wiping away a tear the next. he
novel The Steamie delves further into the lives of Doreen, Magrit,
Mrs Culfeather and Dolly. It also brings some of the lively
characters that only get a passing mention in the play more to the
forefront. As the women get on with their washing, we eavesdrop on
Magrit's man who has her 'up to high doh' most of the time as he
will 'neither work nor want'.We come to understand why the bad
behaviour of her two laddies will be the death of her. And we also
meet her daughter who, happily for Magrit, is a lovely wee lassie
and provides welcome relief from the troubles the males in her
family are always bringing her. We are introduced to Mrs
Culfeather's husband, Harry. Over the years, life hasn't treated
Harry very kindly but he reminds us that there can be laughter in
spite of the struggle that was life in those days. Then there's
Doreen's other half, John, and, last but certainly not least,
Dolly's family also make an appearance. The Steamie is a hilarious
yet, at times, also deeply moving cameo of Glasgow's social
history. The washing was always easier to do when joys and sorrows
were shared and, of course, time passed much more quickly when the
supply of scandalous gossip was as endless as the pile of dirty
clothes
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