The Steamie is a comedy-drama stage play, written by Tony Roper.[1] It is set on Hogmanay 1950 and provides a window on the lives and aspirations of a group of Glasgowwomen washing their clothes in a public washhouse (steamie). It was commissioned by Borderline Theatre in the early 1980s and first staged by Wildcat at the Crawfurd Theatre, Glasgow in 1987.[2][3]
The Steamie came second in an online poll for the television 'list' show STV's Top 30 Best Loved Shows,[9] shown on Saturday 3 January 2009. The following day, a short documentary - The Steamie Story was broadcast on STV, marking the 21st anniversary of its first TV transmission. This was followed by the show itself. The Steamie is available to view in full on the STV Player[10] in Scotland.
In 2022 the first authorised drag staging of the play was presented at The Britannia Panopticon Music Hall in Glasgow . This production was directed by Finlay McLay starred Stewart W Fraser / Sally Starshine as Mrs Culfeathers, Grant F Kidd / Auntie Effie as Magrit, James T Smith / Nomi Divine as Doreen, Jim Dickson as Dolly and Kirsty Whyte / Roxy Stardust as Andy .
In 2023 the production embarked on a Scottish national tour with the majority of the 2022 cast with Darren Brownlie replacing Jim Dickson as Dolly .
Critical reception
Of the stage version, The Scotsman opined, "The play has a kind of hilarious perfection"; while in the Daily Mail, Jack Tinker wrote, "The four Glaswegian biddies who rub, scrub and gossip their way...one Hogmanay eve back in the fifties create a clubbable camaraderie from their labours in a way entirely lacking today...Hearts are worn on rolled-up sleeves. It is impossible not to adore every rose-tinted minute."[11]
