This year’s brush with relegation aside, it’s hard to remember beyond early 2021, after which St Johnstone FC’s famous Scottish Cup and League Cup double made them a club of Roy of the Rovers footballing dreams.
Perth Theatre’s new play is a link-up between two of the city’s great institutions – the theatre and St Johnstone – to pay tribute to the club through its previous Scottish Cup win of 2014.
Fairytale football glory
As the club’s first major trophy in 129 years of existence, that day was the real moment of fairytale football glory for the Saints.
On the day, diehard St Johnstone fan Bobby – played by Perth-raised Saints fan Colin McCredie – hides up Ben Lomond, convinced his team are going to be beaten.
He meets Helen (Lorna Craig), who’s finding some freedom after escaping an abusive relationship.
Bobby has family problems of his own. Namely, he is his family’s problem, obsessed with the team and uncaring about anything else.
This time, he’s accidentally taken his brother Del and niece Wendy’s tickets up the hill.
Meanwhile, the cup final looks unlikely to heal the rift between Del (Tom McGovern) and Wendy (Greer Montgomery).
She’s a promising young footballer who wants to leave her dad for a proper coach, and he’s resentful of her relationship with her mum’s new girlfriend – a Celtic fan, no less.
So Perth, so realistic, and funny
On designer Emily James’ impressive set, a football stand which becomes a mountain, a raw community cast hammer a drum, sing noisy Saints songs – the proper fans in the audience join in – and taunt the characters with their own failures.
That this group are amateurs only adds to the authenticity of it all. Martin McCormick’s script is light and down-to-earth, filled with funny lines at the expense of the characters and their underdog club.
One great setpiece featuring Rangers and Celtic as a pair of bickering pantomime Ugly Sisters is as raw as Scottish football satire gets.
A play so Perth it had Stuart Cosgrove doing the voiceovers and John Swinney in for the first night, it nails the unlikely crossover between theatre and football with heart and enthusiasm
Oh When the Saints is at Perth Theatre until Saturday June 18.
