Shay Mace
Set on the Island of Cumbrae off the West Coast of Scotland, Crocodile Rock is a musical comedy piece that first took to the stage in 2019 as part of A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Òran Mór in Glasgow. The piece has been revived and renewed with input from Scottish LGBTQIA+ charity Sanctuary Queer Arts, and is now being put on by Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month.
The piece will be performed by Darren Brownlie (pictured), and we caught up with writer-director Andy McGregor, to find out what inspired the piece, and how the duo’s shared experiences of growing up during Section 28 inspired the central character and story.
You can catch Crocodile Rock at Gilded Balloon Teviot – Dining Room on August 5th – 31st (no Tuesdays) from 16:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the Gilded Balloon Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Andy, tell us about the revival of this one-man musical, and the moment that it reflects – it’s set in Scotland during the time of Section 28?
Andy: Hi. Yes this is a show that has had many lives, from appearing on the BBC to touring Scotland and we are delighted to be bringing the definitive version to the Fringe. It spans 1993-1998. – telling the story of Stephen McPhail, a young man living on the Isle of Cumbrae in a small town in Millport. At first it’s a coming out story – and the challenges of that when Section 28 was in place, meaning there is no support from the school to help him. And it then morphs into a story of self discovery as Stephen encounters a Spanish drag queen who shows him a side to himself he never knew was there.
Shay: How has the creative process been of putting the show together? Give us an idea of the journey you’ve been on with it so far.
Andy: It started as a commission from A Play a Pie and a Pint to write a one man show for Darren Brownlie. Darren is really well known in Scotland as a brilliant comedic actor, but I wanted to show that he also had real emotional depth in his work. So I wrote a show that would allow him to do both. That has been the most common audience feedback “I laughed and then I cried.” It’s almost a total sung through musicals too, which I really enjoy, turning words into song!
Shay: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?
Andy: The sound of 90s pop! All of Stephens favourites. Followed by the gentle sound of waves, and then Darren appears and talks directly to the audience. He is a master at making people feel at home, before taking you on this fun, heartbreaking journey.
Shay: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Andy: One, that Darren Brownlie is as good as they get! But, more importantly, that a parent has to do their best to understand their child. And if they can’t do that then they can at least attempt acceptance. Trying to mould your child into who you want them to be, rather than who they are, will get you nowhere.
Shay: What journey has the show been on to find itself at EdFringe 2026?
Andy: We first performed at PPP in 2019, the BBC filmed that first go and put it on the iPlayer and BBC Scotland, we then did a longer, larger version at Cumbernauld before touring that version (with Stephen Arden in the main role) across Scotland. It always comes up as a PPP favourite, so we brought it back there this year – which is very rare for PPP as they are focused in new work – we sold out all our performances, got a few 5 star reviews and are now ready for the fringe.
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Andy: For an international audience to see the show. For them to be taken in my by the romanticism of a Scottish island but to also be shown the darker aspects of that. It is, I think, a deeply Scottish story that will resonate with anyone.
Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Andy: Oh, I think – for me – it’s Aftershock. It’s very 90s, it makes you extremely happy and then, after a while, you find yourself crying in public.
A reminder, you can catch Crocodile Rock at Gilded Balloon Teviot – Dining Room on August 5th – 31st (no Tuesdays) from 16:30 (60mins). Tickets are available through the Gilded Balloon Online Box Office.
