Following a hit run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Scottish playwright Kathleen Ruddy brings her award-winning, dark comedy to Cyprus for five performances

The English-language theatre scene on the island may be a rare event in recent years, but this November an acclaimed production arrives to shake things up and offer nights of laughter. Beyond comic relief, the hit play touches on marriage, midlife rage and womanhood, bringing real-life, honest matters to the stage – and in English! Mark your calendars for November 20 – 22, 27 and 28 as The Cut of Her Jib tours Cyprus.

First up, the comedy will be presented in Limassol, at the Vinegar Factory on November 20 and 27, then in Nicosia, at ARTos House on November 21 and 22 and finally at the Annabelle Hotel in Paphos on November 28.

A Cyprus love affair

Ruddy is no stranger to the island. Making Paphos her home in 2011, she first found inspiration on the beaches of Cyprus writing the popular Sex, Chips and Ouzo play, a story based in Cyprus, and The Devil Wears Primark, which took a comic look at Cypriot mothers-in-law, among more hit plays.

Living on the island with her Cypriot family, Ruddy is an award-winning comedy writer with success in Cyprus and abroad. Now, with The Cut of Her Jib, she takes a look at the uncomfortable truths of relationships and getting older.

Five shows this month will reach the Cypriot public before the production transforms into an extended 90-minute director’s cut which is set to open at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival at the world-famous The Stand, with more UK shows to follow.

The play will be presented in Nicosia, Paphos and Limassol

Bringing the play to Cyprus first feels particularly meaningful to Ruddy: “I’ve been coming to Cyprus since the 1990s, long before I lived here permanently. When I was writing for UK television, I used to sit on the beach here handwriting scripts, then go home at night and type them up on the computer. These were the pre-laptop days!

“I was fascinated by the kamaki culture and curious about what happened to the men who had worked in tourism after the war, when the tourists disappeared. I started imagining their lives and their stories, and that became Sex, Chips and Ouzo. It was inspired by Cyprus, by the people I met and by the things I observed. I never imagined how big it would become.”

The play sold out and toured the island three times between 2003 and 2011 as audiences flocked to witness familiar characters, attitudes and social querks brought to life on stage. Talk of turning Sex, Chips and Ouzo into a film followed yet were never finalised as the financial crisis hit Cyprus in 2013. Now, she believes The Cut of Her Jib could prove an even bigger success.

Female rage, marriage and the comedy of getting older

The Cut of Her Jib is a dark comedy filled with Scottish humour about marriage, friendship, class, sex and the things people discover about themselves when life refuses to follow the plan. When a husband disappears after 30 years of marriage, his wife and her cleaner are left to confront what remains, including some uncomfortable truths about the lives they have been living.

The play is a story about women in midlife, yet Ruddy is clear that it is not exclusively for women: “Women love it, but it isn’t a women’s show. It’s about relationships, marriage, ageing, friendship and the ridiculous things we do to survive. Men recognise themselves in it too — even if they don’t always want to admit it!

“I’m interested in female rage, but I’m also interested in the comedy of it. Life can be brutal, and sometimes the only way through it is to laugh. The play is honest about that. It doesn’t tidy everything up or make people behave beautifully. It lets them be complicated, selfish, funny and human.”

Razor-sharp, mysterious and uncomfortably honest, the production arrives for five special evenings of English-language theatre in Cyprus and particularly, evenings of laughter.

“More comedy needs to happen here. We have brilliant performers, fantastic audiences and these wonderful venues that are finding new life. Seeing comedy expand into repurposed buildings is exactly what I want. Theatre should be part of everyday life, not something people feel they have to dress up or be intimidated by.

“I’ve spent years writing about the people and places around me. Cyprus gave me one of my biggest hits, and it has given me a home. Bringing this play back here feels like a celebration of that.”

The Cut of Her Jib

Scottish dark comedy from multi-award-winning comedy writer Kathleen Ruddy. Presented by Rubber Ear Productions. November 20 & 27. Vinegar Factory, Limassol. November 21-22. ARTos House, Nicosia. November 28. Annabelle Hotel, Paphos. 7.30pm. In English. Tickets via SoldOut and participating Stephanis stores