Elaine C. Smith returns to the title role of Cathy, Eilidh Loan's sell-out Edinburgh Fringe play, for a Glasgow run at the Citizens Theatre from 11 to 27 March 2027 as part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
It is the first time the Glasgow International Comedy Festival has given a full festival run to a comedy play, and it brings Cathy to the city in which it is set. The production sold every seat at the Traverse Theatre during the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and was among the nine Fringe shows to see picked out on this site in August. In Glasgow it gives 23 performances between Thursday 11 and Saturday 27 March 2027, with none on Mondays. Tickets went on sale at 11am on Thursday 12 November.
Eilidh Loan both wrote and directed the play. Its starting point was her own Glaswegian grandmother, and the particular way she coped with grief after her husband died; the result is a dark comedy about a family trying to find its way back to one another after a loss. Loan created the central role with Elaine C. Smith in mind, and the Edinburgh company returns with her: Michele Gallagher, Chloe Hodgson, Alan Orr and Sally Reid all reprise their roles.
Hamish McColl is co-director, with set and costume design by Kenny Miller, lighting by Grant Anderson, and music and sound design by Gary Cameron. Jennie Lööf is costume supervisor and Johnny McKnight is dramaturg. The producer is David Pugh, whose productions have played the West End and Broadway.
Loan said: "My granny was the first one to tell me that Elaine C Smith was the only actress she could ever imagine playing her and I'm so proud to be bringing this show, after the amazing success at the Edinburgh Festival this summer, back to my hometown and to introduce Cathy to the fabulous audiences of the Citizens Theatre and the Glasgow International Comedy Festival."
Smith added: "I'm so delighted to be bringing this wonderfully funny and moving play by the young Glaswegian writer Eilidh Loan back home to Glasgow, where it's set. To be part of the Glasgow International Comedy Festival and to be performing again at the prestigious Citizens Theatre is a dream come true."
A short film was released alongside the announcement.
If the player does not load, watch the film on YouTube.
For the festival, the booking marks a change of approach. Its director, Krista MacDonald, said: "For the first time we are presenting a full festival run of a comedy play, showcasing the breadth of the art of comedy. There is no better show to do that job than this heartbreaking and hilarious play - it's a quintessentially Glasgow story and an absolute must-see."
The Citizens reopened its rebuilt Gorbals home in August 2025 after a seven-year closure, keeping its Victorian auditorium at the centre of the new building. Earlier this month it was named Great British Theatre 2026 at the first Great British Theatres Awards, where it also won the Great Renovation Award.
Performance times vary through the run. Tuesday and Wednesday shows begin at 7.30pm, Friday shows at 5.30pm (with an extra 8.15pm performance on Friday 26 March), and every Saturday has performances at 2pm and 5pm; Thursday and Sunday times change from week to week.
For more information, visit the official website.
