Writer: Nicky Allt
In Glasgow, the football daft Quinn family gather to mark the passing of their much-loved elder statesman, grandfather Paddy. In the family pub, they move through the decades charting the history of their beloved club – Celtic F.C. and their family’s abiding obsession with it.
From Brother Walfrid and the founding fathers of the club, the thirteenth Scottish League and Cup double, the eighth Scottish treble, through legends like Jock Stein and Big Billy McNeill, the Lisbon Lions 1967 historic European Cup win to Kyōgo’s goals and the ball boy captain Callum McGregor, they sing and celebrate the clubs triumphs.
To its credit Celtic: The Musical acknowledges the dark times and tragedies too. The untimely death of john Thomson, the two world wars and the lean years are poignantly touched upon. Many of the club’s former heroes are remembered and memorialised. The intense rivalry with their old enemy from the other side of town is humorously dealt with.
The current production is a re-fresh and update of the show that has been playing for nearly a decade. Accompanied by an on-stage band and the passionate singing of the audience, the songs are plentiful and familiar to the faithful. Celtic fans will hear: Hail Hail, Over and Over, Hampden in the Sun among many others. There are stories, jokes and anecdotes to stir the spirit.
The cast both familiar and new, deliver the material with gusto, newcomer Elysia Welch as football historian daughter sings beautifully and banters relentlessly with her younger and less informed little brother Tommy, sang and played perfectly by James Rottger. Veteran of the show Keith Warwick as eternal pessimist Sammy, provides the lion’s share of the laughs. Stephen McCole and Julie Duncanson are sure-handed as the patriarch and matriarch of the clan.
The production uses historical newsreel footage and newspaper headlines to evoke memories and emotions. The live band, strong singing and storytelling will surely prove to be a winner with die-hard fans, the reaction of the supporters and former players in the audience is proof of that.
Celtic the Musical is principally the story of a football club but it is also the story of an ordinary East-End Glasgow family through the generations that will resonate with many in this city.
Runs until 27 September 2025 | Image: Contributed
