Brian Beacom

THERE is little doubt Chic Murray was the godfather of abstract comedy. The big man from Greenock could take the ordinary and convert into into the absurd. And it’s no wonder he inspired a clutch of great comedians across the world, including our own Billy Connolly and Kevin Bridges.

Now, Chic is back with us. Not quite looking himself, but rather like actor Dave Anderson, in a new biographical play.

Chic Murray: A Funny Place For A Window, also stars Kate Donnelly as Murray’s wife Maidie, and Brian James O’Sullivan.

Donnelly is delighted to be playing the lady who once former a double act with her partner. in the Forties and Fifties.

“Maidie was on stage from an early age and it was her who persuaded Chic to become a comedian,” says Donnelly. “Until that time, the former engineering apprentice was appearing on stage as an accomplished piano player.

“She talked him into becoming a double act, The Tall Droll and the Small Doll. And then of course his career went stratospheric.”

The play of course offer the chance to tell Chic’s story via a series of fantastic comedy stories and lines (Kippers; fish that like a lot of sleep.) It traces his journey from the West of Scotland to the West End of London, where he starred at the Palladium.

“Chic made it look easy, but that’s because he was a genius.”

The play, by Stuart Hepburn, is set initially in Edinburgh, where the comedian has driven after recording an episode of hit TV show Tarby and Friends.

“He wanted to see Maidie,” says Donnelly. “He needed to talk to her. And we open up her box of memories and we flashback in time to cram in a whole marriage into fifty minutes. It’s a love story.”

But love stories don’t always have happy endings. Maidie suffered as Chic’s career grew. She really was reduced to being the support act. Ah, showbiz.

“I think Maidie got fed-up with Chic’s wandering eye. We don’t know the details but there is a line in the play in which Maidie says ‘Chic could charm the knickers off a peewit.’ And we know the chorus line would stand and watch him perform his act.”

Chic Murray was not a man whom you could describe as classically handsome. But in showbiz, looks aren’t always a prerequisite for purposes of seduction. “Talent is always attractive,” says Donnelly, who adds, smiling; “Especially if you can make people laugh.”

The play is also very much a celebration of the man’s genius. “Chic was doing surreal material before the likes of Monty Python. His angles are incredible as is his love of twisting language.”

She offers an example, grinning; “’I went into a bedroom and the curtains were drawn. The furniture was real but he curtains were drawn.’ He had a unique handle on things.”

Kate Donnelly grew up with a real appreciation of Chic Murray’s comedy talent. “My brother Jim used to pass off Chic Murray’s lines as his own,” she grins. “It was only later I discovered the reality.”

Donnelly knows the world of variety. The actress/writer once appeared on stage with comedy legends Jack Milroy and Mary Lee. But she reveals performance is part of her DNA.

“My grandmother, Lily, was a Welsh chorus girl and a dancer and worked all over the country. She met my grandfather, a captain in the Italian army whose surname was Fattorini and they conceived my dad, born one night when she came off stage.

“But my grandmother couldn’t cope with the new baby and she handed over my dad to a family, the Donnellys and half a crown was exchanged. “However, Lily stayed in touch as ‘Auntie Lily’. My dad didn’t find out he was adopted until he was 16 when a lawyer told him. It was a painful way to find out but the Donnellys were lovely parents to him.”

By total coincidence, Kate Donnelly attended drama school in Wales, and living in the same Cardiff street where Lily grew up.

“Sadly, all the family had died out by that point. But it’s quite a romantic story. And I do feel really at home in Italy when I go there.” She adds, smiling; “Perhaps there’s a play in that story.”

However, the actress didn’t inherit all of her grandmother’s talent. “I’ve got two left feet,” she says grinning.

But she does have a talent for telling jokes. Back in the Eighties she appeared on television in Naked Video, playing stand-up, Georgina.

“I was playing a character, so that was okay. And it worked. Billy Connolly was really encouraging and said some very nice things. And I got some work out of that role.

“Yet, I didn’t want to become a stand-up. I wanted to act. I remember thinking ‘I couldn’t keep this up I couldn’t do this every night’’’.

It helps her to understand why so many comedians have problems with depression, and turn to alcohol, as was the case with Murray.

“Yes, it’s really hard work trying to find the truth in comedy, which makes it funny. I remember seeing Bill Hicks at the (Glasgow) Pavilion and he was immense. But I also remember thinking ‘How can you every follow that?’”

Right now, Donnely is focused on bringing Maidie Murray to life.

“She’s a woman with a big heart who played down her impact on Chic. And it’s a fascinating period in entertainment history. It’s a time when women weren’t really allowed to be funny. That’s held many women back in their careers. For so long, we had to think of a male-driven agenda when it comes to comedy. But Maidie was a trailblazer. A real character.”

* Chic Murray: A Funny Place For A Window, runs at Glasgow’s Oran Mor , May 14 - 18.