Des's Sister Act Comes to Eden Court
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Drama
AUTHOR Des Dillon did not have too look too far for the inspiration for the feisty females of "Six Black Candles".
The six sisters, who combine forces to take revenge on a wayward husband, are based on the Coatbridge author’s own sisters — perhaps not the greatest compliment he could give them, yet they do not seem to be too unhappy about it.
"They came to see the original production at the Lyceum in Edinburgh and they came along to see this production and both times the reaction has been the same," Wendy Seagar, who stars in the show’s current tour, revealed.
"Obviously, they say they are not as outrageous as these sisters are, but there are elements!
"I think they feel it’s a very nice thing to be immortalised in a book and on stage, so they’re still speaking to him."
This is despite a plot which involves witchcraft, a frozen head in the fridge, a hitman, a pile of burning boxer shorts, two gallons of vodka and an unsuspecting Catholic priest.
Originally a novel, the black comedy was re-written for the stage by Dillon, author of Scottish theatre hit "Singin’ I’m No’ a Billy, He’s a Tim", playing to packed houses on its original Edinburgh run and then proving an equal success in Ukraine where it enjoyed a long residency in Kiev.
Directed by John Binnie, the cast features some familiar faces from such Scottish television shows as "Taggart", "River City", "Still Game" and "Rebus": Shonagh Price, Julie Duncanson, Gayanne Potter, Alison Mackenzie, Anna Hepburn and Mark McDonnell.
Seagar plays Angie, the roughest of the sisters, but one with a heart of gold — and a taste for super-lagers.
The actress has met Angie’s real life inspiration and certainly detected some shared characteristics.
"I definitely thought, when I met the sisters, that Angie was in charge," Seagar said.
"In the play that’s what happens. When push comes to shove, Angie will put her foot down and say exactly what’s happening.
"In the play, it’s kind of ambiguous about the ages of the sisters and it’s upn to the audience to decide where everybody is in the sister hierarchy. People tend to assume that Angie is the oldest because she is the one who takes charge of things — but I won’t tell you if am the oldest actress or not!"
Seagar is one of only two cast members who appeared in the original production and she found it very interesting to return to the role after a gap of more than six years.
"When I spoke to John, the director, about the character, we were both talking about the same kind of things, but, for me, I was really looking forward to coming into a rehearsal room and getting rid of the old pictures in my head and fill them with new pictures. That was very easy to do with this cast.
"There’s also a lot more depth to the play this time round. There are things about my character that I have discovered that I maybe played differently last time. From that point of view, it is like getting a fresh chance to bring Angie back to life again."
Though Seager admits she is very fond of the "rough and gruff and tough" Angie, she admits others might have a different opinion if they met her in real life.
"I think for some people, her and her family would probably be the neighbours from hell," Seager laughed.
"She has trouble with her son, who is in a secure unit, but she will do anything to protect family. She’s got lots of funny lines and she gets to do lots of wild things. She’s great fun to play because she gets to be soft and sentimental, tough and outrageous, and say terrible things and have lots of fun."
The original show sold out its Royal Lyceum run and the current production continues to be a good laugh for its audiences.
"It’s a very, very funny play," Seagar said.
"Once they get used to the swearing, they just laugh a lot. It’s a great party night out, if you know what I mean. When it was originally on in Edinburgh there were people who had through the doors of the Lyceum in their life because they thought it was too posh and then went on to see other things because it wasn’t the scary experience they thought it would be.
"That’s a lovely thing. It’s what theatre should be about, reaching out to people and really entertaining them."
• "Six Black Candles" by Des Dillon is at the Empire Theatre, Eden Court on Tuesday and Wednesday next week at 7.30pm.
