The Big Day, theSpace on the Mile Review
Written by Jacqueline for Theatre & Tonic
The year is 1990. Glasgow has just been awarded the prestigious title of ‘European City of Culture’. As part of this award, Glasgow is hosting a music festival across the city centre, “The Big Day”. Everyone is going to be there, and the festival forms the backdrop for a reunion between four lifelong friends who have been drifting apart as circumstances have changed.
As a Scottish person, many of us are well used to having our accents being used as the butt of a joke, or a way to take us less seriously. In The Big Day, our four central characters are upset and affronted when Bellshill-born Sheena Easton appears onstage at the festival, sporting a fake American accent having not performed in the city for a decade. Tensions rise within the crowd as a result, and the four girls find themselves taken to a holding cell where they are placed with a Glasgow University student from Mull. As the festival carries on beyond the window, secrets are revealed, arguments are fought and bonds are forged.
Although The Big Day is only an hour long, many topics are incorporated, including homelessness, gentrification, and the challenges of breaking the ongoing cycle of small-town poverty. Despite the show being set in 1990, these topics are still heartbreakingly relevant today, especially things such as male violence against women, and young people’s use of drugs. Although a great deal of ground is covered, Milly Sweeney’s script incorporates each of these topics naturally; nothing feels forced or shoehorned in. The dialogue feels realistic and the conversation flows, without exposition drops or forced ‘big reveals’. It is also important to note that this show is female written, directed and led, and it really does feel as though it’s a show by women, for women- though many men could learn a thing or two from this production.
Though the Fringe is an international extravaganza, it would be remiss not to seek out home-grown shows during the festival. If you’re looking to support Scottish stories produced by local, female-led talent, then The Big Day is an absolute must-see.
The Big Day runs at theSpace on the Mile, Space 3 (14:55-15:55) on even dates until August 22nd.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
