at Webster’s Theatre
Better Days Websters Theatre
Do you sometimes find yourself longing for those carefree days of your mis-spent youth,
asks Tracey McCallum?
It seems a long time since the potent energy of change to come crackled in the air and life’s possibilities seemed endless. Better Days will take you right back to the heady, sweaty days of the 90s when everybody was free to feel good. Composed by Scottish playwright, screenwriter and God damn son of a gun Ben Tagoe, Better Days tells the story of Danny, a 19 year old who finds himself at a fork in the road. It’s 1990 and he’s torn between the powerful lure of the growing rave scene and that of his football hooligan mates. Where do his loyalties lie? A scenario relatable for many young men from that time.
In contrast to the bleakness of the 80s, house music was designed to make the world a more joyful place. The repetitive beats and soaring vocals made it impossible not to move to and you didn’t even have to be able to dance. House music made people feel good.
During this intimate one-man performance, we’ll hear Danny’s story interspersed with some of the best tunes of the era. This production is theatre in gig format. It’s a standing show to recreate the magical feeling of being in a club rather than a theatre and the audience can look forward to a nostalgia inducing soundtrack including club anthems from N-Joi, Frankie Knuckles and of course the track from which the show gets it’s name Better Days by Jimi Polo.
Writer and Director Ben Tagoe says Better Days although drawn from his own experience ‘is a universal story that anybody who came of age in that era will be able to relate to’.
Danny is played by up and coming young actor George Martin – Ben says ‘From the moment George read for us, I knew he was the right person’.
In keeping with the entrepreneurial spirit of the 90s, Ben used Crowdfunding as a way to get the project off the ground. Still in touch with many people from his old clubbing days, Ben felt this would be an ideal way to bring like minded people together and reignite fond memories of what was a truly revolutionary time not only in the music scene but in expanding people’s horizons.
Ben adds ‘There was just something really special about that particular time. It feels like it was the last great youth movement and I do feel it changed people’s outlook in ways we don’t always fully appreciate now’.
If you were there back in the day then this is set to be a cracking trip down memory lane and a chance to remember one of the most exciting periods in UK music and club culture.
“There’s gonna be better days” so dust off your glow sticks, get your hands in the air and catch Better Days at Webster’s Theatre on Wednesday 8th March.
Ben is currently adapting The Young Team, a Scottish novel by Graeme Armstrong for BBC Scotland as well as being on the writing team for the second series of a soon to be announced ITV crime drama and also writing a new play for the National Theatre of Scotland expected to make it on to Scottish stages in 2024.
Better Days Websters Theatre
Webster’s Theatre 416 Great Western Rd, Glasgow G4 9HZ
Direct Ticket Link
