Review: SALLY, Oran Mor, Glasgow

Opening the autumn season at A Play, A Pie and A Pint at the Oran Mor is Sally, a new play written by James Ley and directed by Jemima Levick.

Sally (played by Sally Reid) has been a breakout hit from a small rural touring production of a one-woman Cabaret. As the show announces a transfer to the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh and then a West End and Broadway run, Sally is given Tyler (Sam Stopford) an assistant to help manage her schedule.

Performing to sold-out audiences and standing ovations every night, Sally lets Tyler in on her secret. As more and more controversial leaders and public figures attend and rave about the production, she thinks her success is causing the rise of right-wing populism. Desperate for fame, Sally questions whether it is worth it to be lauded by these people who are causing so much harm to society.

Sally is a fantastic piece of new writing that examines, among other things, exactly who is paying £400 for a theatre ticket during a cost of living crisis. It takes an interesting look at the political landscape (and I imagine has been subject to last-minute rewrites) and whether the message behind Cabaret is being properly understood. With two strong performances and razor-sharp wit, I hope this isn't run isn't the last we see of Sally.

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