REVIEW: When We Were Young at Newcastle Live Theatre

When We Were Young, 

Newcastle Live Theatre, 

Until Wednesday 16 July 2025

A powerful tale from the Govan area of Glasgow has landed in the Quayside theatre renowned for celebrating new writing. A very tight cast deliver a fast paced show that does not miss its punches. 

The stage set up is beautifully simple - 2 boxes. The entire show is thus allowed to be about the characters and their situation rather than constant set changes. The mix of really funny moments quickly descending into nightmare scenarios which is performed upon that simple set up is, in a good way, "Shakespearean" at times. Let the talking and the action carry the story. 

The cast have quickly set up and clear roles. The exposition is kept to the minimum as the scene is quickly set. Leader Mooney (Liam Lambie), brother Tame (Ross McAree), best mate Gee (Elliot McLean), and loyal Joe (Euan Ferguson) live on an estate in a rough part of Glasgow. Their geography unites them against rival groups who operate in other parts of the area. Skirmishes break out and the lads find themselves defending  their territory - however the shadow of knife crime is flagged up from the initial monologue given by Lambie.

In these lads lives is a lack of paternal support. Rather it is girlfiends Michaela (Dionne Frati) and Sammy (Candace Nicholson) and mother of the brothers Mags (Clare Rooney) that provide the compass and guidance for the lads. 

The story begins in the late 90s with the lads making ridiculous boasts to one another whilst putting a brave face on their domestic situation. So called cheap foreign holidays are not what these lads experience as their families survive on the fortnightly giro cheques. There is talk of moving away and self-improvement but the apparent lack of cultural capital that will ultimately stack the odds against them is clear. They may not get each others references to where milk comes from and they may never have seen the movie Curious George but they know how to survive on the streets. Acquiring booze, such as monk produced Buckie wine, and cigarettes can be done through team work.

The journey that the audience is put through includes wonderfully funny moments - it is great to hear a theatre audience laugh. The flipside, though, are some terribly sad moments that made my companion shed a tear on the way home.

This is powerful theatre - the production really moves the audience and needs to be seen, especially by the younger generation. The themes resonate as the audience empathises with the hand that the characters have been delt with. 

The cast do really well, at no point did I think "but they wouldn't do/say that". Trust me - you wish that some of them would go down a different path. But that's the point, they don't always recognise the alternative routes that life can offer. This is very much an ensemble piece and it works as a production as you feel compassion, concern and empathy for this tight little group.

The show is spoken with a Glaswegian voice. What they say and how they say it helps with the authenticity of the piece.  I will admit that I struggled in parts but it was worth the effort. Regional accents should be celebrated rather than watered down.

It is a shame that there is just one night to go, here in Newcastle, before the tour moves on. This is very memorable theatre

Review: Stephen Oliver

Tickets: 

Age guidance: 16+

Trigger Warnings:  strong language, violence, knife crime, blood, death. 

Tickets: https://www.live.org.uk/whats-on/when-we-were-young