In a tale from a bygone Scottish era, there is still be a story relevant to the present
Set in 1960s Glasgow, Sailmaker focuses on a Scotland that no longer exists. While elements still linger, the country has moved on from the days of deep sectarianism, tick men and kids not staying in school past 15. However, this is not a criticism of the play. In fact, it acts as an interesting time capsule into a very different time in our collective history. What remains universal though, are the themes of grief, loss and the difficult relationship between fathers and sons, shown through The Gaiety theatre company’s production at The Beacon.
The play begins with the death of Alec’s mother and his father’s wife, Davie. It gives no time for reprieve or reflection in the way Davie tells his son and this sets the tone for the next hour and a half. It is very much a get on with it, unsentimental way of giving the news, to anyone but especially a child. Which isn’t to say he doesn’t care, but there is a quote that demonstrates Davie’s mindset at the earliest point, which carries through the story. “If you don’t stop, it can’t touch you”. Right or wrong, this is a very common approach to dealing with loss and especially in Scottish culture. The mentality that you have to keep going regardless and not let the emotions take over. While this is Davie’s approach, it isn’t necessarily the right way for Alec. Nonetheless, Alec follows suit and the two carry on without truly dealing with or even discussing their loss.
This decision impacts their relationship in a much more subtle way than one may expect. In truth, the two get on. They love each other and, in many ways, have a much more open level of emotion towards one another than many fathers and sons of that time perhaps had. That said, there are unspoken issues and the broken toy boat Alec finds towards the start of the story acts as a symbol for that. In one sense, the boat not having a sail and its inability to move is reflective of the fact they have not or simply cannot move past their grief. It is also a symbol for Davie’s apathy following the loss of his wife. A sailmaker by trade Davie could have fixed the boat at any time. He often talks of how best to fix it and that he’ll get to it soon but never does. This becomes clearer when Alec’s uncle Billy, a painter, sees the boat and instantly agrees to give the boat a fresh coat of paint and does so with speed. This isn’t to say Alec doesn’t care for his son. We see time and time again how he supports his education, his newfound faith, how he believes in Alec and does truly want the best for him. He isn’t an inherently bad father. His demons do affect his parenting, though, whether through apathy, his drinking or his gambling addiction. In his mind, I’m sure he does believe he’ll get to fixing that boat. It’s more than simply putting off a task, though. Davie just doesn’t know how to manage his own life. His distance from the emotion of losing his wife is the crux of his existence. It helps him go through life but leaves him unable to live it, unable to be present in the world, to fully connect. This is what damages his relationship with Alec the most. The boat is a symbol of Alec’s youth, but it is also a means for him to try to connect with his dad. It’s just them now, Davie is all Alec has, and he tries desperately to connect with him through the boat, but it’s as if Davie isn’t really here. A feeling which Alec alludes to within himself when describing how, upon learning of his mother’s death, it’s like he’s watching from outside his own body, as if it isn’t him. Ultimately, if the two could actually talk about their loss with one another, they’d realise they’re going through the same kind of emotions and maybe be able to help each other and finally start to heal.
One of the only times we ever see real anger or emotion from Davie is when Alec mentions the “nice lady” that Davie keeps mentioning. When an irate Alec snaps and says he should just admit he fancies her, Davie smacks his son, the only time we see him do this. On one hand, Alec just wants him to face life and reality, but when met with that reality and the fact that his wife is in fact gone, Davie snaps and lashes out at him. It shows that there really is something broken within him and his relationship with his son.
Alec’s relationship with his cousin Ian acts as an important reprieve in the early stages of the story as someone he can talk to, and is one of the more positive, grounding elements of his life. That said, Alec is searching for a kind of peace and comfort that even Ian can’t provide, which is largely why we see him turn to religion. When he can’t connect to his father and his cousin can’t relate, religion becomes a space where he seeks what’s missing. However, he doesn’t find the answers he seeks within the bible. Alec makes various comments throughout the play about something being missing, that he’s lost something. While that is in a more obvious sense, the loss of his mother, there is an argument to be made that it is also about his father. Perhaps, in some ways, he lost him the day she died.
In the end, the boat becomes the ultimate representation of Alec’s lost innocence and childhood, having to burn the boat after the electricity gets shut off in his and Davie’s home. Davie’s mismanagement of money through gambling and alcohol catches up to him, leading them to burn their possessions. Alec’s burning of the boat is saying goodbye to his childhood but Davie, he burns his old sailmaking tools. Lignum vitae, one of the hardest woods there is. It not only indicates the loss of Davie’s past life, his hopes and ideals but potentially even the loss of his relationship with his son. As the boat and the tools that would fix it burn, we’re left to wonder if they will ever fix what is broken within their relationship.
The company from The Gaiety theatre have done a tremendous job with this play. Alexander Tait played grieving son Alec in a fascinating way, and his insight into the character and the range of emotions conveyed through his performance enriched this story. Andy Clark does an excellent job in his portrayal of Davie. He seemed to relish that time period and was a very convincing Scottish dad in every sense. Paul J. Corrigan and Lewis Kerr, as Billy and Ian offered some much-needed levity to the production and also acted as an interesting contrast to the other father/son relationship in the play. In some ways, we see what Alec and Davie could have been if it weren’t for their grief, and Corrigan and Kerr display this well. Overall, the relationships within this play make it a riveting watch, and that is a testament to the exceptional level of talent onstage.
This next stop on this production’s tour is the Cumbernauld Theatre from Friday 6th-Saturday 7th March and ends on Wednesday 25th March at Theatre Royal Dumfries.