“I think she works in Greggs,” she says, cheerfully. “Or maybe Asda. She’s definitely gallus, and you’ll definitely recognise her. We all know a woman like Queenie.”
Louise is returning to the Tron Theatre to play the panto dame in this year’s Christmas show, Gallus in Weegieland.
“I’ve tried to make her a bit like an old variety style entertainer, because that’s what she is, in Weegieland – a great entertainer,” she adds.
“And I call on characters from my own life too – my gran, for example, is definitely in there.”
The Glasgow Times caught up with Louise during rehearsals, just as the cast are preparing for technical and dress runs before opening night on November 19.
Louise in rehearsal (Image: 81 Films)
“I need my frocks now,” says Louise, smiling. “I need to get into my frocks. And there are quite a lot of them this year, so I’m looking forward to that.”
Written by Johnny McKnight and directed by Sally Reid, Gallus in Weegieland follows Alice as she trips down a pothole and ends up on a wild adventure in a strange land, pursued by the power-hungry Queenie of Hearts.
“It’s great fun and it also has a lovely message – about finding your bravery, and using your imagination, and surrounding yourself with love,” says Louise.
“I think audiences might find a little tear in their eye at the end.”
Louise, right, with Julie Wilson Nimmo in Scot Squad (Image: BBC)
Louise is well known for her TV roles, on the likes of Scot Squad and The Scotts, and as one half of comedy sketch duo Stevens and McCarthy with River City actor Gayle Telfer Stevens.
She last played the dame at the Tron two years ago, when she took on the title role in Aganeza Scrooge, delivering a blisteringly funny performance as the mouthy but glamorous battleaxe intent on ruining the festive season for everyone.
The Ghost of Panto Past (Julie Wilson Nimmo) with Aganeza Scrooge (Louise McCarthy) in Aganeza Scrooge at the Tron. (Image: Eoin Carey)
Louise took a break last year to have more of a Christmas with her two children – Danny, now six, and three-year-old Olly – and her partner Colin.
“You are definitely a bit out the loop at home when you do panto, but Colin is extremely supportive,” says Louise.
She jokes: “This year it will be – go home after the panto on Christmas Eve, wrap until 4am, sleep for 40 minutes then get up and start drinking Prosecco.”
Louise McCarthy (Image: Colin Mearns/Newsquest)
Danny and Olly are proving a useful audience in the run up to opening night, she admits.
“I try out some of the lines on them, actually – they are pretty harsh,” adds Louise.
“I’ll ask Danny if something is funny, and he’ll just say, ‘naw.’ They’re actors in the making. Or maybe directors.”
After panto, there are “a few exciting things floating about,” says Louise, although nothing she can properly reveal yet.
“Times are tough in the industry so I’m just trying to make my own work,” she says, simply.
For now, however, it’s all about the panto.
“I love panto – we went to them all, growing up, the Pavilion, the King’s when your family could afford it,” she says.
“I grew up seeing stars like Dorothy Paul, Francie and Josie (Rikki Fulton and Jack Milroy) and Gerard Kelly in panto – just great Scottish turns, you know?” she says. “I have a real passion for that kind of comedy, I’ve really studied them.
“Because they did it the best.”
She is momentarily taken aback by the suggestion that she is now part of an inspirational new generation of Glasgow panto stars.
“It would be deeply touching if someone said I’d had the same effect on them that the people I went to watch when I was a young actor had on me,” she says, slowly.
“But I don’t think of myself like that – I’ve never rested on my laurels, I’ve always wanted to achieve more. I never assume I know everything.”
She pauses.
“It’s maybe a Scottish, thing – definitely a woman thing,” she reflects. “I’ve always had to work twice as hard, be twice as funny …”
She brightens. “But hard work never hurt anyone,” she says, smiling. “So, I’ll just keep going.”
Gallus in Weegieland is at the Tron Theatre from November 19 until January 4.
