Achi news desk-
But to say that Gabriel Quigley is a huge fan of Prime of Miss Jean Brodie author is a huge understatement.
“I grew up with Muriel Spark,” he recalls. “My father, who was a teacher, had been a librarian when he was at Edinburgh University. Muriel was always in the house and was always respected by my mother and father. One Christmas, when I was in my sixth year at school, my father gave me her complete work. I don’t know how he did it because he didn’t have much money on a teacher’s salary and he had six children.”
Gabriel Quigley has worked hard in the development process of bringing Stark’s story to the stage. Set in the summer of 1945, just after VE Day, The Girls of Slender Means follows the adventures of a group of young women who are ‘caught between hope and unhappiness’.
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They are not only skinned, but separated from their families and forced to live together under the same roof in a boarding house in London for the ‘Financial Convenience and Social Protection of Slender Means Women.’
Not only do the young women have to come to terms with their war experiences, they have to begin to imagine what lies ahead in a time of peace. How will they survive? What do they need to do to make ends meet, and still keep hope for the future?
Spark wrote about a new, vibrant world that had to be embraced. Still, how to proceed? “These young women have been given positions as secretaries in temporary ministries,” Quigley said. “They’ve had these important and busy lives, then suddenly the war is over. The story is about what will happen to these young women, and about the renegotiation of women’s roles after they have gained their independence.”
The young women do their best to pretend the war never happened. They argue over ball gowns, they struggle to maintain a sense of glamor and elegance – and are excited by the idea of male rivals. Yet, at the same time, they cannot deny the politics of their experience, and the social pressure they will have to endure.
Quigley adds: “These girls are all trying to make it in life, but without any money. They are quite heroic in their commitment to keep going. And a lot of it is about the absurdity of youth. There is a lot of humor in the story, but also a lot of depth. Throughout the book, many want to go on a diet and these women try to make themselves attractive to men. She’s not afraid to tell the truth – she’s good at the old truth bombs.”
Muriel Spark was not afraid to tackle the main themes, such as tearing down social norms as they were at the time. “She’s also very interested in the idea of erasing ordinary women and their lives. For all the humour, wit and style, there is a sense of foreboding and instability. Muriel is great at dealing with a lot of things and making seriously heavy points in the most sophisticated and elegant way.”
The author adds: “It hits you like a brick by the end.”
On television, Gabriel Quigley has revealed an acute touch for comedy with the likes of the Karen Dunbar Show and Still Game. She also brings a great deal of theater experience to her writing. Over the years she has appeared in a range of productions, from Cyrano de Bergerac for the National Theater of Scotland to San Diego, for the Tron/Lyceum theatres. “I know how drama works,” he said, smiling.
Quigley certainly knew that she would have to flesh out the characters to develop them for the stage. And she knew instinctively to ‘home in on Muriel’s humour’. “My God, can she write a line. The funniest parts of the script are direct lifts from exchanges in the book. She has such a clever, satirical eye.”
And yet so much more. “She’s a stylist and a true modernist, but she’s a realist about life – and the surrealism and unexpectedness of life. That’s where the great truth in her writing comes from.”
The Girls of Slender Means, Theatr y Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh, April 13 – May 4.
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