Whisky Galore

Compton Mackenzie, Philip Goulding

It’s 1955 and the Pallas Players, an all-female theatre company, are putting on a play: Whisky Galore.

They transport us back to 1943 on the Scottish islands of Great and Little Todday, where the whisky supply has dried up because of the war, leaving tensions running high. Relief seems to be at hand when a ship carrying 50,000 bottles of whisky is wrecked just offshore. Then it’s every thirsty man for himself as the islanders try to rescue as many bottles as possible before stuffy Captain Waggett of the Home Guard can put a stop to their fun.

Philip Goulding’s stage adaptation of Compton Mackenzie’s comedy classic is a tribute to the feisty all-female touring theatre companies of the post-war years. First performed in a touring production by Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Hull Truck Theatre and New Vic Theatre, Whisky Galore combines rollicking physical theatre, panto and farce, with an array of hilarious characters for any female-led theatre company.

This edition includes an introduction by Philip Goulding, notes on the characters, and the original music by Alan Edward Williams that accompanied the premiere production.