Picture: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Scots was reviewed at Perth Theatre. The production tours until 4 April 2026.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Every so often a show comes along that deserves a second visit. Scots was originally performed as part of the legendary A Play, A Pie and A Pint in Glasgow, followed by a stint in New York for Tartan Week and a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe four years ago.
Writers Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie, also known as Noisemaker, have reunited with director Jemima Levick in this fresh production from Raw Material Arts.
Perhaps uniquely, the show is led by a toilet. Not any toilet, of course, but a representative of the first flushing toilet, a great Scottish invention! The Toilet character is a perfect rendition of a gangly, well-informed ‘genie’ of the toilet – dressed all in white lycra with saltire shorts and a flush handle in the region of the left nipple, this troubadour (complete with guitar from the lavatory) sets the scene for the next 90 minutes: what makes a nation?
The lively, talented cast of eight performers then romp through Scotland’s timeline from the dawn of known history right up to the present day. Tyler Collins, Katie Barnett, Richard Conlon, Yana Harris, Lawrence Smith and Star Penders form an ensemble that draws on music hall traditions to enthusiastically deliver the story of Scotland.
The laughs are practically non-stop, both the dialogue and lyrics constantly tickling funny bones. The passage on the enlightenment is particularly well worked: music hall meets agitprop; and, of course, the flushing toilet which also provides the perfect place to think.
During Act II, a lot of time is devoted to Scotland becoming the first nation to address ‘period poverty’ and the public toilet becoming the meeting point for gay men up to the legal victories resulting in gay couples being able to marry. There’s also a lively iteration celebrating the installation of toilets in every tenement in Glasgow – a quickly growing movement that successfully introduced toilets to replace communal outdoor facilities all over the country.
Every single performer has an excellent singing voice and swiftly become all the characters depicted in the narrative. Both costumes and set are cleverly designed by Kenny Miller, while lighting and sound from Colin Grenfell and Garry Boyle respectively are very well realised, especially for a touring production such as this.
A jolly romp with a lot to think about. And we all know where to do that!
Fiona Orr
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