Review: JACK, Oran Mor, Glasgow

Kicking off the 2024 season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Glasgow's Oran Mor is Jack, which is written by Liam Moffat and directed by Gareth Nicholls.

Our main protagonist is played by Lawrence Boothman and he starts things off by expressing his fury that his partner has presented him with a puppy on Christmas Day. Of the three main characters in this story, it is only the four-legged one whose name is mentioned- Jack.

He never wanted a dog, he doesn't even like dogs. A horrific turn of events upends his life and he becomes consumed by grief. Jack is the only constant in his life but he still tells himself he doesn't love him and doesn't want him.

Lawrence Boothman is a captivating performer and Liam Moffat's script is darkly funny and moving. This is one that really connected with the audience and received a couple of strong audible reactions. It is a testament to the strength of the writing and Boothman's performance that the main character is so likeable despite some of his actions while in the depths of grief. 

The theme of this season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint is Introduction and it features 18 writers who have never had work staged as part of the programme before. Over the last twenty years, PPP has built up a loyal following of audiences that are keen to see new writing and it's not surprising with this quality of output. 

Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

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