The boys are back

John Byrne’s Slab Boys trilogy becomes a four-part series this year with the arrival of Nova Scotia, a brand new comedy drama catching up with some well-loved characters.

To describe this is a landmark event is no over-statement – The Slab Boys, Cutting a Rug and Still Life are regarded as key Scottish texts and studied in schools.

There’s a strong autobiographical feel to the plays, which follow the fortunes of three young men who were teenagers in the 1950s. When audiences first met anti-establishment aspiring artist Phil McCann, he was working as a paint-mixer in a carpet factory. Like Phil, Byrne himself was a ‘slab boy’, had a mother who suffered from schizophrenia and went on to become an acclaimed artist.

In Nova Scotia, Phil’s living in the Highland with his young wife, a successful artist in her own right who has been nominated for the Turner prize. Byrne now lives in Nairn and is married to Tilda Swinton, who was nominated (and subsequently won) Best Supporting Actress at this year’s Oscars.

The play tells of Phil’s attempts to kick-start his career, and sees a female journalist arrive to record a radio profile. No doubt some characters from his past will also be putting in appearances.

The Traverse has assembled an outstanding cast for this eagerly-awaited production, including Communicado team Gerry Mulgrew and Gerda Stevenson and the phenomenally talented Cara Kelly and Meg Fraser, winners of the CATS award for Best Female Performance in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Without doubt a must-see Scottish theatre event.

Nova Scotia is at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh from April 25 to May 24 (previews April 25-27).