Review: STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT, Oran Mor

Strangers in the Night is the final play of the 2025 Autumn/Winter season at PPP. It is written by Alan Muir and directed by Cora Bissett.

Jimmy (William Macbain) and May (Juliet Cadzow) are neighbours in their retirement village. They refer to themselves as “the Full Shilling Club” and sit in Jimmy’s room telling each other stories about their lives. Both performers are wonderful storytellers, and you would be happy just listening to Cadzow as May regaling tales of when she saw Sinatra perform at Ibrox.

There’s slightly more to the story than just nostalgia. May’s son, who lives down south, is trying to persuade his mother to allow him power of attorney and for her to move in with him. Care worker Christine (Lola Aluko) has suspicions that this might be more about her son wanting to stop his inheritance disappearing into care fees than his mother's wellbeing. 

The dynamic between the three actors is wonderful, and I would be thrilled to see this expanded into a longer piece as it was such a delight to watch them interact. Muir’s writing is sharp and witty and gets a lot of genuine laughs from the audience. The script is also unpredictable but never strays into the unbelievable.

What is particularly striking about Strangers in the Night is that it isn’t remotely patronising towards older characters. The residents of the retirement village are depicted as lively and intelligent individuals with a wealth of stories to tell. 

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