Review: THE SCAFF, Òran Mór, Glasgow

The Scaff is a new play written by Stephen Christopher and Graeme Smith, directed by Jordan Blackwood and co-presented with Traverse Theatre.

Jamie (Bailey Newsome), Frankie (Stuart Edgar) and Liam (Benjamin Keachie) are longtime school friends. They love playing football together but when one of their rivals calls Liam the worst thing- a 'scaff', something needs to be done. Clad in two-stripe trackies, he's visibly different from his pals. 

Egged on by Jamie and Frankie, Liam tackles Coco (Craig Mclean) but it goes horribly wrong and he causes more damage than intended. Liam's friends don't stick by him and he finds the whole school are soon against him.

Set in the 1990s, this is a wonderfully nostalgic piece. From the music and clothes to the school slang of the time, they've got this setting down to a tee. While this will appeal to audiences of all ages, it will possibly hit harder for those who remember what a big deal it was for someone to have unbranded fizzy drinks and imitation sports gear.

The cast of four give really strong performances and are a joy to watch. There's a lot of humour in the script but it doesn't shy away from the difficult times that some of the lads are going through. An hour feels far too short a time to spend with these characters. The Scaff is a fantastic piece of new writing and a highlight of this A Play, A Pie and A Pint Spring/Summer season. 

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