Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock
Four stars
Alan Spence’s study of the shifting fortunes of a father and son in working class Glasgow was first produced at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre in 1982, arriving on a wave of new Scottish voices creating poetry out of the everyday. Spence became better known as a novelist and poet, while Sailmaker went on to become a fixture and favourite of the school curriculum. It was last seen on a professional stage in 1990.
This long overdue revival by director Liz Carruthers reminds us of what a fine dramatist Spence is. His play is a masterpiece that fuses rites of passage and working class ambition with a portrait of poverty and grief in a rapidly disappearing Glasgow. At times it feels like a piece of European neo realism that in any other country would have long seen it adapted for film. As it is, this tour heroically produced by Ayr’s Gaiety Theatre and Greenock’s Beacon Art Centre can’t even get a gig in the city where it is set.
Spence tells the semi autobiographical story of Davie and Alec, a father and son who have just lost Davie’s wife and Alec’s mother to long-term illness. Davie is a former sailmaker who now moves from factory to dole queue by way of the bookies and the local bar where he spends his winnings. The only legacy of his original craft comes in a carved wooden boat cherished by Alec, whose life starts to move beyond playing football with his cousin Ian the moment he passes exams that point to a different future. What follows in Carruthers’ steely production is a eulogy of sorts to Alec’s past as he steps out into a world where social mobility was still possible.
This is evocatively played by Andy Clark as Davie and Alexander Tait as Alec. Clark brings a swagger of wounded pride to a man who coulda’ been a contender, while Tait channels a similar depth in the conflicted emotions faced by Alec. This is offset neatly by Paul J Corrigan as Alec’s uncle Billy and Lewis Kerr as Ian in their depiction of a less dysfunctional father and son relationship.
The result is a powerful depiction of the social mores of a particular point in late twentieth century history given heart and humanity by its cross generational leads. This is pulsed by composer Gary Cameron’s elegiac underscore that brings life to Claire Halleran ‘s Scotch sitting room set. Despite all their differences, as Davie and Alec unpack their past before letting it go, a deep rooted love between them prevails in a play defined in part by the absence of women and the effect that has on the men left behind.
That it has taken more than three decades for Spence’s play to be seen again is something those currently running Scotland’s theatre institutions should probably think about. While developing new work is vital, a country’s still all too recent theatrical history is in danger of vanishing completely through institutional neglect. Audiences are advised to see Sailmaker on one of its numerous touring dates throughout March. It may be the only chance they get to see a true modern Scottish classic.
The Herald, March 9th 2026
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