Dookin' Oot review | A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Oran Mor, Glasgow 2025

Name: Dookin' Oot
Brand: A Play, A Pie and A Pint
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

Lisa in the theatre

3 days ago4 min read

Written Éimi Quinn | Directed by Jennifer Dick

A play, a pie and a pint, Oran Mor, Glasgow | 25 February 2025

production photos: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Dookin' Oot by Éimi Quinn | A Play, A Pie and A Pint 2025 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The 2025 spring season of the famous A Play, A Pie and A Pint opens this week with a new black comedy from Scottish writer Éimi Quinn. In Dookin’ Oot care worker Julie (Helen McAlpine) becomes a dominatrix on OnlyFans to raise money for her elderly patient Diane (Janette Foggo) who wants to travel to Switzerland to end her life peacefully. It's an extraordinary mash-up of themes held together by outrageous Glaswegian humour. It's funny, thought-provoking and hugely entertaining. Dookin' Oot is a brilliant start to the new season!

Curmudgeonly Easterhouse pensioner Diane is an exquisite creation. She is the epitome of someone who has had enough with the pleasantries and politeness of life. Diane says exactly what she means - and although that is often hilarious and usually full of expletives, she also comes out with some deeply profound statements.

In describing her failing health and difficult, yet mundane daily life: "This is not living; it's just no being deed!"

How many of us have experience with elderly relatives who have said something eerily similar? I know I have.

Quinn's script is razor-sharp and brilliantly observed. Brought to life via Jennifer Dick's insightful and playful direction, and Janette Foggo's exceptional performance, Diane is an unforgettable character who is brimming with cutting one-liners and heartfelt observations. I was particularly struck by Diane pondering why it's acceptable for her to put her dog down at the vets to end his suffering, yet she isn't allowed to make a similar choice in regards to ending her own life in Scotland. This play and these moments pack a punch. There is so much to think about.

Janette Foggo, Kyle Gardiner and Helen McAlpine in Dookin' Oot. Photo credit: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

Diane's plight resonates not just with the audience but with her carer, Julie. So Julie, with technical assistance from postman Connor (Kyle Gardiner), turns to making online adult content via website OnlyFans in order to raise the necessary funds to send Diane to Dignitas in Switzerland. Julie is in her 50's, going through a divorce and the menopause, and she is feeling anything but sexy when we first meet her. But through her new endeavour, can she find a confidence and courage long thought lost?

I often hear that there aren't any roles written for women of a certain age in theatre, but here, in one single play, we have two, rich, complex, female characters beautifully developed and sensitively portrayed. Producers should be queueing up outside Oran Mor to see just what can be achieved by these women when given the opportunity (and quality material). They are phenomenal.

Julie and Connor's venture into the world of online adult content-making provides much of the light-hearted comedy for this play. The audience never see anything too explicit, but it's clear exactly what's going on. I bet it's not even that far fetched! Who knows what happens behind the curtains in blocks of flats all over the city in order to make ends meet.

The brilliant cast here all have superb comic timing, and the fearless Helen McAlpine and Kyle Gardiner also have an impressive wardrobe of eye-catching costumes to contend with. It's remarkable how many have been squeezed into a 60 minute play.

Listen out for the adverts that play through the radio in Diane's flat throughout the show: They are spot on and priceless!

There is nowhere to hide when staging an 'A Play, A Pint and A Pint' play. The success of these intimate, lower-budget productions rests on the strength of the writing, direction and acting performances. It's a really tough gig! Dookin' Oot succeeds in tabling the difficult topic of assisted dying in an accessible and wildly entertaining way. A full, satisfying story is told within the hour run time and was met by enthusiastic cheers at the end. This is how it's done. Let's hope for a long life for Dookin' Oot ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Writer Eimi Quinn said:

“I wrote about assisted dying because it’s an issue so important, especially now, as we consider changing the law here in Scotland. The play is about taking back your power in more ways than one, as it also follows the journey of a woman in her 50s who becomes a dominatrix, at an age which many of my older women friends say they start feeling invisible and less sexually appealing.

“This play is about reclaiming power and identity, whether that be through a double-ended dildo or a one way ticket to Switzerland. I hope audiences will get a lot of laughs out of it but will also leave with something to think about.”

Find the full list of plays and more info about PPP's Spring season here