Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): A Play, A Pint & A Pie - "Someone's Knockin' At The Door", Òran Mór, Thursday 26th February, 2026.

My first ever visit to A Play, A Pie & A Pint.

Òran Mór

Electing to use public transport, leaving the car at Johnstone, we caught the train to Central Station, then took the Subway to Hillhead. Arriving early, we browsed in Papyrus to get out of the rain, then made our way to the venue.

Inside, I wasn't sure where to go, so I asked the girl at the box office and was directed to the bar restaurant. The queue had already formed, so we didn't get much further than the inside door.

At noon precisely, the staff member started processing the line, which moved swiftly. She scanned our tickets and handed us each a blue and an orange token, one for food, one for drink. Then we made our way downstairs.

I only saw this notice as we were leaving

Inside the room, an usher advised us to claim our seats first. We found two unclaimed seats in the third row and laid our jackets over them, then headed back to join the drinks queue. The pies and vegan sausage rolls had been laid out in individual cardboard trays at one side under a rack of heater lamps. Having been served, we helped ourselves to napkins and condiments and returned to our seats.

The spacing at Òran Mór is tight, so the sign warning against leaving any gaps was concerning. Fortunately, the lady on my left was slim, so I had just about enough room if I squeezed against my wife. However, I noticed the three ladies in the front row had spread out across four seats (because they physically had to), while a larger gentleman further along claimed three spaces, his body sagging across the seats on either side. How were the staff going to get around this? It turned out not to be a problem, though. Either some ticket holders failed to show up or chose to sit in the spacious but restricted-view booths instead. We were lucky to have plenty of legroom, which was a nice surprise. I've been to gigs there where my knees were pressed against the seat in front of me.

At 1 pm, Artistic Director Brian Logan introduced the show, first advising us of the fire exit locations, before giving us the sales pitch for merch and season tickets in a most good-humoured fashion. Then the lights dimmed, and the play began.

Both leads were excellent, using their honed comedic skills to wring every funny line from a pitch-perfect script that made the most of the concept of two grandparents being videoed separately, relating their differing memories of a trip to Campbeltown to try to visit Paul McCartney's house, the juxtaposition providing constant laughs. Lighting changes were used to drop us into scenes from 1976, showing the couple bickering as events don't go exactly to plan, revealing the cracks and divisions that had begun to form, with surprises along the way.

The ending was perfect, the postcard providing a metaphorical happy ending for this trip down memory lane.

From every perspective - the script, the performances, the staging, the lighting and the sound design - the production was excellent.

The question is: did we luck out, or are they all as good as this?

We'll need to return to find out.

https://www.facebook.com/playpiepint

Blurb:

A nostalgia-filled comedy-drama about a bickering couple on a mission to meet their idol, Paul McCartney.

In 1976, Jack and Kathy set out on a mission to find Paul McCartney’s house on the Mull of Kintyre, where he was living off-grid after The Beatles broke up.

Now, fifty years later, they are telling their granddaughter the full story of what really happened.

Did they ever get to meet their idol? Did their relationship survive? And most importantly, why did the Fab Four break up?

Inspired by a true story, Someone’s Knockin’ at the Door is a witty comedy-drama by Milly Sweeney (Best Writer – The Stage Debut Awards 2025) about family, memory, music, and chancing your luck.