World Premiere of Make It Happen at the Edinburgh Festival

The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh. Photo by Gill Yardley.

From the Edinburgh International Festival: The World Premiere of Make It Happen, at the Festival Theatre Edinburgh, National Theatre of Scotland.  Writer: James Graham, Director: Andrew Panton.

Review by Gill Yardley

Edinburgh 2008 Royal Bank of Scotland is on the brink of collapse. This play follows Fred Goodwin (Sandy Grierson) as CEO of the 300-year-old institution. The balance sheets rise to meteoric heights. Everyone enjoys the fruits of their labours. Fred Goodwin has his own plane and is living it up at other people’s expense. They did not see the global recession looming or the cracks that began to show.

Step forward Adam Smith (Brian Cox) the father of capitalism, whose mischievous ghost comes out to play. He has a field day sitting back and enjoying the muddle. Delighted with John Lewis and other modern places, he learns fast. It can only end in tears. Collapse of bank, redundancies, people losing the pension. He boasts of scaring and haunting Maggie Thatcher when she was in power- I do hope so!

Brian Cox has such ability to be present when he is not on stage, and you yearn for him to come back on. This is a serious play with light touches of humour. A sad outcome though, compensated by a top-class cast, and production.

One of the many new plays and shows taking place at the Edinburgh Festival.