Review: Outskirts at A Play, A Pie and A Pint

Bethany Tennick's Outskirts premiers at A Play, A Pie and A Pint this week. The new musical comedy, co-presented with Aberdeen Performing Arts and OneRen, is at Òran Mór, Glasgow until Saturday 4 April. Read my review below.

Rosie Graham, Shona White and Jake Stephen in Outskirts. Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Outskirts ★★★☆☆

Review: 1 April 2026 | Òran Mór, Glasgow

Another week another show bursting with outstanding Scottish talent at A Play, A Pie and A Pint. The little lunchtime theatre institution based in Glasgow's Òran Mór always punches way above its weight in terms of the quality of creatives and performers it attracts to its small basement stage.

This week we meet workaholic young granny Margaret (Shona White) - an American, who has walked into a gay bar in Glasgow looking for a drink and maybe something more. She doesn't exactly receive a warm welcome from agitated bartender Dove (Rosie Graham) whose mind is focused on pining for her ex-girlfriend and tracking down a missing Amazon package that employee Si (Jake Stephen) has been sent to retrieve.

Trapped in the tinsel-filled bar 'Out Skirts' as a storm rages outside, the unlikely trio warm to each other and disclose a few personal secrets along the way. Their bonding comes by virtue of a creatively named, lethal-sounding cocktail list, a perilous cleansing ritual, and a bit of Kylie Minogue's disco pop.

Omni-talented Bethany Tennick not only writes the book, music and lyrics for Outskirts, but acts as Musical Director for the show too. Tennick's lively musical comedy blends 2000s inspired, original pop songs with a touch of lgbt+ education for the audience - What does a non-binary person look like? - and a side of blunt-Scottish life advice.

There are some poignant moments in Outskirts, but the enduring vibe of director Steve Lauder-Russell's show is warm, camp and light-hearted. The cast veer from dramatic dialogue to disco tunes via beat-drops, bright lighting accents and knowing looks to the audience; It's all good, cheeky fun. But there's bite to the story as Margaret, Dove and Si tackle such complex subjects as love, family, loneliness and mental health during their late-night lock-in. As the night wears on, the three drinking buddies from very different generations find that they have wisdom to offer one another too.

The characters are well developed for a one-hour show. Shona White's superbly complex Margaret has a grown family who have fled the nest yet pester her relentlessly when they need something. She's divorced, lonely and over 40. Yet it's a very brave woman who has walked into Out Skirts bar and who stands before us, choosing to take a risk rather than rattle around an empty house on a Friday night. I wanted to stand up and cheer for her.

Rosie Graham's grumpy bar manager is having a bad day, but the magnificent Graham has her grabbing a mop and belting a tune centre stage like an outraged, but fabulous, pop star. While Jake Stephen is a revelation. Sassy Si and his banishing spells are a delight; and his stage presence is magnetic. All three cast members display excellent vocals, and their harmonies in the last number of the show are stunning. This is a very strong cast who take their loveable characters on a cocktail-soaked voyage of discovery and see them come out the other side self-empowered, if a little tipsy.

Watching Outskirts is like being a fly on the wall; looking on with horrid fascination as an American lady spends her first night in a Glasgow gay bar. The production offers an intimate snapshot into the late-night underbelly of the Glasgow bar scene where a diverse mix of people, personalities and generations meet. The play does try to tackle a lot of themes, but the focus is on acceptance, and the story is the exemplification of "you never know what someone is going through, so always be kind." ★★★☆☆

Rosie Graham, Jake Stephen and Shona White in Outskirts. Photo: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan