Theatre: The Dolls – Comedy cleaners polish their act

Louise McCarthy and Gayle Telfer Stevens can vividly recall their first show together as The Dolls. It was in a social club, on a Sunday evening, to a handful of punters.

It was memorable for the performers because it was the beginning of a journey that has taken them much further than they could ever have dreamed.

As they prepare to play their biggest tour to date, which includes a return to Britain’s biggest theatre, the Edinburgh Playhouse, the comedy duo have been reflecting on how they got here.

“Our first gig was in May 2013 at Easterhouse Masonic. It seated about 80 and we didn’t sell it out,” explained McCarthy. “Folk weren’t coming to see us – they would just go to the pub every weekend and watch whatever was on.

“How it grew for us was through word of mouth. Then someone put a video of one of our routines on Facebook and it got three million views. It spiralled out of control and we had to fulfil the demand, so we thought we’d put on a theatre show. We were actresses before we did this, and we did The Dolls because we had no money and nobody would employ us. Did we need to do The Dolls to get work? I don’t think so, we’ve just been lucky. As an actor you want to be working and every day I think I’m a lucky lassie that I get to call this my job.”

Telfer Stevens has been part of the River City cast for a number of years now, playing Caitlin McLean, while McCarthy is part of the Scot Squad ensemble and is also in new hit sitcom, The Scotts. The pair admit they would love to take The Dolls on to the small screen, too.

“We’d love a telly show – that’s not happened for us yet but at this stage I think it’s just getting better and better,” said Telfer Stevens.

“We keep learning more and we get to know each other better and there’s a beauty in what we do and how we execute new ideas.

“When the curtain goes up it’s carnage and we think, ‘Is this what we’ve created?’ But really it was the fans who did it. They want something geared towards them. They want to hear and see themselves, they want relatability. They don’t identify with some things out there just now. Everyone is looking for what’s new but really it’s the old stuff that’s the best, is it not?”

And with that in mind, The Dolls’ latest tour, which sees them playing across Scotland following a successful run of shows at the King’s in Glasgow in November, is a slice of old school – a variety show.

The Dolls – foul-mouthed Glasgow cleaners Agnes and Sadie – will share the stage with illusionist Chris De Rosa, drag queen Reba Martell and singer Chris Judge in Rerr Terr.

Telfer Stevens said: “It’s the epitome of what we do and where we sit in the market. We have lots of strings to our bows but our style is old-school variety. We come from clubland, so it was about taking it back to our roots and then magnifying it by a thousand and putting it on a much bigger scale, which is what we’ve done.”

McCarthy continued: “It was so good at the King’s in Glasgow that we’re really confident in the show now. It just went off and I think this is what will happen on tour, because we’ve had another mini-lockdown over Christmas and folk are just ready to get out and party as a result.”

This will be the third time they have played the 3,000-capacity Edinburgh Playhouse and it’s a feeling they’ll never tire of.

“It’s the biggest gig we’ve ever done and it has a special place in our hearts,” said McCarthy. “There’s no better feeling than to be in a position where you are giving people a great time – it’s why you become a performer in the first place. It’s a wave of sound and you can’t beat it.”

The Dolls: Rerr Terr, Gaiety, Ayr, Wed-Thurs; Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen, Fri; Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, Sat; Edinburgh Playhouse, Sun. For all dates, see wearethedolls.com