More Shades of Gay: Gary Lamont @ Oran Mor

What propels you to go on the stage? Couldn't you take it easy, since you are a popular character in River City?
It's the opposite of taking it easy really; I've played Robbie for nearly 8 years and it's been brilliant. At this stage of my career River City has now become the longest job I've ever had in life, so I want to keep myself sharp and on the ball. Nothing gives you that bolt of adrenaline and fear quite like being on the stage. I just seem to be upping the ante a few more notches by taking on a one man show!


What attracts you to this particular script?I met with Stuart Thomas way back in the summer and he spoke to me about the script, we both shared ideas of who the character was and some of the experiences he goes through. It's very funny and I instantly could imagine myself delivering the punchlines. I was drawn into finding out why he says a certain thing that might be a little crass, or what is he covering up by being so bold and bawdy. It's easy to be camp and silly, but I'm interested in finding who's underneath all of that.


Do you identify much with the character in 69 Shades?
I do and I don't. Personally, I'm a bit more private when it comes to

matters of the heart and have a close group of friends who I seek counsel from. Aiden strikes me as the sort who'd spill his guts to the person next to him on the bus if they'd listen. I kind of admire that. No filter. There's also the aspect of him being gay and that being the thing that utterly defines his life, that's not me. I'm not defined by being gay.


What are you hoping that the audience will get from the show?I hope they get a really fun night out, the script is hilarious and some of the escapades will have people in stitches. There are also a few poignant moments in there too and it would be lovely if it resonated with folk. Love is universal and we can all relate to a good heartbreak story!


How do you approach developing a character like this, and does that process change much from how you approach Robbie off the TV?
Robbie is 100% in me now, so in a lot of ways I don't even have to think about how he'd react or how to pitch him in a situation or scene, it's pretty instinctual. Approaching a new character is always daunting, I don't want to be a one trick pony and play the big camp character for laughs. It's got to be authentic. Aiden is way bolder than Robbie, so I'm excited to be more out there and wild. Robbie is a pre-watershed character and Aiden is definitely after hours. I'm excited for that.

69 Shades of Dramaturgy: Stuart Thomas @ Oran Mor

69 Shades of Gay!

by Stuart Thomas

Meet Aiden, the luckiest gay in G12. Because he’s about to shack up with boyfriend number 69, Marcus! So in time-honoured fashion, Aiden’s going through his phone, getting rid of texts, snaps, numbers, the apps… But there’s nothing like a mammoth deleting session to send a boy down memory lane…

This funny, frothy, fearlessly frank one-man show stars Gary Lamont, BBC’s River City favourite Robbie Fraser (the soap’s much loved gay hairdresser), and is written by Stuart Thomas, ‘one of the best comedy writers the Scottish stage has produced’ (The Scotsman), and the writer behind the smash hits, The Real Hoosewives fae Glesga, Wee Fat Glesga Wedding, and Salon Janette.

Oran Mor, Glasgow from the 8th - 18th February 2017

Obvious one first: what inspired the idea for the script?
My own life. It's the most autobiographical thing I have ever written, although I heavily raided the lives of my friends, both straight and gay, to give Aiden's private life a few more points of interest! But I wanted to say something really positive, and sex-positive, about gay life. But all my plays, even the ones about Glesga hoosewives, are to some extent autobiographical. This one just a little more so.


When we spoke before, you mentioned the influence of Reality TV - will audiences see this influence in 69 Shades?

Not really, other than in the abstract. I think Reality TV has made voyeurs of us all, and Aiden's openness about his sex life maybe owes something to that aspect of our culture. We're all stars in our own lives now, or so we think. Aiden does, that's for certain.


This show is going to the Oran Mor - a little different to the Pavilion, which we chatted about before. Does this impact on your approach to the script?

The play was originally written for a studio theatre space in Dublin, so it was tailored for that smaller, more intimate space. Also, The Pavilion has a very distinct audience, so it's more a case of me having to adapt my style to that venue, as opposed to the other way around. But comedy is comedy. It's all about making people laugh -- and think. So my intentions remain the same, whatever the venue.


A show like 69 Shades is pretty clearly about being gay - how far do you think we have come in the past decade in being able to be so clear about a character's sexual identity, and is there more to be done?

I think we've come a long, long way, but there is always more to be done. Writing this made me face a few of my own demons, in terms of being out and proud. Some of the comments on Facebook (especially in Ireland) made me realize that there's a ways to go, in terms of how problematic a play with a proud gay message still is for some people. 

This is slightly off topic, but worth sharing -- in Ireland, one of the critics (in an otherwise rave review) felt the play was missing a beat. So did I, but I didn't know what it was, but I was determined to find that beat for this Glasgow revival. Then Orlando happened. And as I did my rewrites, I realized that what the play was missing was a moment where Aiden stands up and is truly counted -- where he really owns his sexuality, beyond his sex life, and fuck the bullies past and present. 

That was a moment of revelation for me and I would really like to think that, in some small way, the speech in which Aiden says he's proud of who he is represents its own little push forward in terms of a character -- and a writer -- owning their sexuality.


I assume that the script goes for comedy - from the title, I admit: what attracts you to writing humorously?

It matters to me to make people laugh but not just laugh. Even the title has more than just comic value. Aden's enjoying his 69th relationship and he's sure this is the one, and of course, his desperation ensures that it's not. So there's the pretty low gag there, but also some meaning too. 

For me, real comedy lies in that sweet spot, where people are laughing because it's funny, but also because they feel something too, something universal. That's always been my aim, to make people laugh and feel, and I think the best comedy does that.


The script also has some moments of poignancy too, I hope. It's comedy with a bittersweet undertone, which is always my favourite kind of humour. There's always room for sadness in comedy; that's what gives comedy power... the aftertaste.