PPP: Off The Rails
★★★★☆ Hugely promising
Assembly Roxy: Wed 29 Apr – Sun 3 May 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson
Off The Rails is an auspicious start for the first season at the Assembly Roxy of Òran Mór’s legendary A Play, a Pie and a Pint. This extremely impressive mini-musical is the professional writing debut of Stephanie MacGaraidh, who has also written the songs and is the play’s sole performer.
MacGaraidh is Maggie, who finds herself on a train from Glasgow to Aberdeen on her 30th birthday, en route to Norway. Where she can live in a cabin. With elves. But all she has with her is the pyjamas she is wearing and a tote bag containing only a stale Go Ahead bar. It is soon clear that she is so socially awkward that even going outdoors is often a struggle.
Stephanie MacGaraidh in Off the Rails. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
MacGaraidh also provides the other characters Maggie encounters in the supposedly ‘quiet coach’, with her backstory artfully revealed in between the songs. These are largely pleasing indie-folk numbers enhanced by a loop station that Ed Sheeran would be proud of.
There is a tremendous energy and sympathy to the narrative. MacGaraidh performs with warmth, impeccable comic timing, and assurance. The production is given a lovely flow by Katie Slater’s direction, which helps add a dimension one-handers often lack – something helped considerably by MacGaraidh’s skilful differentiation of the various characters.
economy and humour
Heather Grace Currie’s design conjures up a train carriage with economy and humour, while Ross Nurney’s lighting design is thoroughly effective.
The themes of mental health and a yearning for connection are elegantly treated. While these may be hammered home just a little by using the train announcements as a reflection of Maggie’s thoughts, it has to be said that the writing (like the performance) demonstrates an almost absurd level of promise.
Stephanie MacGaraidh in Off the Rails. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan.
The music is also noteworthy, although the technical wizardry of the live looping tends to overshadow rather than enhance the actual songs. It is noticeable that the most affecting piece of music (a song about a life-long marriage) features the least in the way of bells and whistles. Perhaps the ticket-inspector’s rap could also come back less often.
The main room at the Roxy provides a large setting for pre-show pints and meat or vegan Piemaker pies, although they could do with providing plates, cutlery and sauce (and a few more seats). The actual venue is a big change from the Traverse, as upstairs at the Roxy has no wheelchair accessibility, and even when reaching the venue the stairs between the seats are not the easiest to navigate. All of this has to be borne in mind when considering the traditional Play, Pie and a Pint daytime audience.
atmospheric
While the Roxy upstairs is decidedly atmospheric, it doesn’t have all of the facilities that the audience has previously taken for granted; however, if future productions are as good as this one, few will notice.
Running time: One hour and 5 minutes (no interval)
Assembly Roxy (Upstairs), 2 Roxburgh Pl, EH8 9SU
Wednesday 29 April – Sunday 3 May 2026
Daily at 1.00 pm; Thursday also at 6.00 pm
Tickets and details: Book here.
Future PPP dates at Assembly Roxy
Æ preview: Summer lunching at Roxy.
Funeral for my Boobs
By: Hannah Howie
Wed 20 – Sun 24 May 2026
Daily: 1pm; Thurs eve: 6pm.(Upstairs).
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Corinthian
By: Joe McCann
Wed 10 – Sun 14 June 2026
Daily: 1pm; Thurs eve: 6pm.(Upstairs).
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Hen Night
By Debbie Hannan
Wed 17 – Sun 21 May 2026
Daily: 1pm; Thurs eve: 6pm.(Upstairs).
Tickets and details: Book here.
Stephanie MacGaraidh in Off the Rails. Pic: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
ENDS
