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John Byrne

The Slab Boys Trilogy (Faber Drama) Paperback – November 20, 2003

by John Byrne (Author)

4.6 99 ratings

Part of: Faber Drama (20 books)

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Spanning the 1950s to the 70s, the plays capture the rebellious mood of a post-war generation growing up to a backdrop of James Dean, Elvis, sharp-suited glamour, hope and despair. John Byrne takes the slab room he worked in and makes it pure theater: the scams, the dreams, the aloof but gorgeous girl, the despair of life back home, the obligatory tormenting of the office 'weed', and the mandatory boy chat and pranks all help the day to pass. Phil and Spanky explode onto the stage in a classic vaudeville double-act.

Part of series

Faber Drama
Print length

352 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Faber & Faber
Publication date

November 20, 2003
Dimensions

4.96 x 0.88 x 7.8 inches
ISBN-10

0571223451
ISBN-13

978-0571223459
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber (November 20, 2003)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0571223451
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571223459
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.96 x 0.88 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,452,304 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,016 in Playwriting (Books)
- #2,033 in Play & Scriptwriting Writing Reference
- #6,087 in British & Irish Dramas & Plays

Customer Reviews:
4.6 99 ratings

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John Byrne

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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

99 global ratings

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JennyJenn

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 14, 2023

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Good

Bluecashmere.

Not a great play but immensely enjoyable. I laughed out loud many times.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 12, 2015

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“The Slab Boys” is the first and most substantial play in John Byrne’s trilogy. Set in 1957 in Glasgow it has been claimed as a landmark in the Scottish theatre of the last century. It was subsequently filmed but met with no great success in that medium. The slab boys work grinding and mixing colours for the designers in a carpet factory, as for a while did Byrne, himself. Often it is claimed as offering a wonderful insight into Scottish working class life of that time. I have to say that for me, with some shifts in patois, it would be equally set in successful set in London, Manchester or Belfast. It was very successful for a while on Broadway.

Although from time to time it has been revived on stage, it now most commonly met as part of the Scottish element in Scottish leaving examinations. I wonder how easily today’s students are able to form any sort of bond with the Teddy Boy era, with mimicry based on Frank Richards’ Billy Bunter stories, with performers of the time: Terry Dene, Eve Boswell etc.

Clearly colour is what the lives of the central characters lack and they manufacture their hopes with riotously funny word play, farce etc. Although the play more than captures the spirit of the time, it is not realistic and the dramatist relies a good deal on stereotypes and established tricks of the theatre. I laughed a great deal at the wonderfully exuberant and inventive antics of Spanky, Phil etc. There are elements of bullying, if not of cruelty, yet the sheer vitality and wit override these considerations in communicating far more warmth than sadness.

A final note. Some critics have made a good deal of the Catholic backgrounds of the main characters and seen important exploration of the RC/Protestant divide in Scotland and in Glasgow in particular. It seems to me that there is no more than a very hesitant gesture in that direction. It is never really taken up as a serious issue. In the last analysis, for all its faults, the play has so much physical energy and verbal effervescence that it is thoroughly enjoyable. Well worth reading – it lives on the page – and of course seeing if the opportunity arises.