A Play, a Pie and a Pint

Good value for a tenner — an original play by a local writer, lunch and a drink! Always interesting and good for local star spotting, too.

A play, a Pie and a Pint is an afternoon theatre event in the west end’s Oran Mor which, unsurprisingly, offers a play, a pie and a pint. From week to week, you can see a different play, and since starting in 2004, Oran Mor has shown 347 plays all in. — That’s a whole load of pies and pints right there!
Descending down the stairs to the theatre, pictures of PPP’s gone by adorn the walls. They’ve certainly put on a show over the years and Glasgow has welcomed the Play, Pie and Pint experience with open arms; the Monday afternoon showing I attended recently was a sell-​out!
Ticket prices start from £10 on a Wednesday to £14.50 on a Saturday. A ticket to the Monday showing cost me £12.50. (You can also buy a season pass for all 19 plays for £175.) For your ticket’s worth, you’ll get entry to the play, a pint (from a selection of alcoholic drinks, including wine, or a soft drink) and a traditional scotch pie or vegetarian quiche. So, it is good value, considering the cost of drinks alone. Just a word of warning that the pie does not make for a substantial lunch. I went for the quiche and the portion was absolutely tiny, literally just a slither of a slice. And it was served on its own. It was nothing special but really, it’s just about the novelty of the tradition of the pie, I guess. I did have to go for a late lunch afterwards! Also, there didn’t appear to be anything for those with intolerances, just a heads up.
It really is just pot luck down to the constantly-​rotating plays. This week’s play might not float your boat. But perhaps it will. Regardless, that’s all part of the fun. And it’s certainly an interesting afternoon activity in the west end. I really enjoyed Rob Drummond’s Lifesaving, in particular the dialogue and acting. I’d say the ticket cost was worth the play alone. — I definitely wouldn’t rule out another Play, Pie & Pint session at some point!