Des Dillon-penned black comedy Six Black Candles is given a long overdue homeland revival

First performed at Edinburgh’s Lyceum in 2004, Des Dillon’s Six Black Candles has not been back on home turf since, despite popularity further afield – and more’s the pity. Dillon, a sort of Bruce Springsteen figure of Scottish theatre, has a knack for using simple, colloquial language to tell a surreal story in a relatable way within a realistic setting.

Set in Irish-Catholic Coatbridge, where Dillon himself was brought up, the play follows three generations of women from one family as they unite in the name of a common goal: Wiccan revenge on one of their number’s cheating bastard husband.

Perfectly-timed one-liners abound from a roster familiar to us from Rab C Nesbitt and Still Game, with Vivien Grahame (better known to most of us as comedienne and performance poet Viv Gee) and River City’s Carmen Pieraccini especially standing out. Throw in a decapitated head in a freezer, a mad Irish granny (played wonderfully by Kay Gallie), a new priest and local hitman as well as impeccable performances from the female-heavy cast, and we’re onto a winner.

Currently touring throughout Scotland. Seen at Cottier Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 9 Apr.