Yer Granny bound for success across the UK: Riotous stage play features star-studded Scots
A STAR-studded play set in a Scots-Italian chippy is set to bring a supper of laughs to theatres all over the country - including the unforgettable sight of Rab C Nesbitt in drag!
Douglas Maxwell's Yer Granny, based on a famous Argentian play La Nona by Roberto Cossa, features performances from some of the biggest names of the Scottish stage.
The National Theatre of Scotland production brings together Gregor Fisher, Maureen Beattie, Louise McCarthy, Brian Pettifer, Barbara Rafferty, Paul Riley and Jonathan Watson.
It will go on tour around the country from May 19 to July 4, visiting Greenock, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Dundee as well as a run in Belfast.
Last night, director Graham McLaren told the Sunday Express: "Yer Granny is the funniest play I have ever had the pleasure of directing and to bring it to life with a cast of such diverse Scottish comedy talent is a joy.
"The tradition of Scottish comedy, in all its many forms, on stage and screen, is something to be very proud of in Scottish culture. The comic collision of these cast members in this show, with their shared wealth of experience should make for an unforgettable night in the theatre."
Set in 1977, the "bold and riotous comedy" tells the story of a 100-year-old grandmother - played by Fisher - who is literally eating her family out of house and home.
Having already forced the Minerva Fish Bar into bankruptcy, she is pushing the Russo family to desperate measures just to survive.
Yer Granny is the funniest play I have ever had the pleasure of directing and to bring it to life with a cast of such diverse Scottish comedy talent is a joy
The head of the family, Cammy, is determined to restore their honour and reopen the fish bar in time for the Queen's impending Silver Jubilee visit.
However, before Her Majesty can pop in for a single fish and a cup of tea, the family must ask themselves how to solve a problem like Yer Granny.
The original version is the most successful theatre comedy of all time in Argentina, and a previous British version was broadcast by the BBC in 1991 starring Les Dawson as the granny.
As well as Fisher's turn as Granny Russo - his first ever appearance in a National Theatre of Scotland production - Watson plays Cammy and Beattie takes on the role of his wife Marie.
Pettifer, meanwhile, will play Donnie Francisco, a decrepit octogenarian lothario and sworn enemy of the Russo family.
