The world premiere of a new satirical play about the financial crash of 2008, starring Brian Cox, will open this year’s Edinburgh International Festival.
Make It Happen, written by James Graham (Sherwood, Quiz) and directed by Andrew Panton (Osage County, The Children, A Christmas Carol), Artistic Director of Dundee Rep Theatre, will mark the return of Succession star Cox to the Scottish stage for the first time in 10 years.
Make It Happen will open the annual arts fest in the Scottish capital and run for a week at the Festival Theatre from Aug. 1-9.
Set in Edinburgh, the play sees Cox portray Adam Smith, the pioneering Scottish philosopher and economist, and the ghost of fiscal past. Graham’s writing dives into the “unchecked growth, spiralling greed and nail-biting hubris that brought the world’s economy to its knees,” a plot synopsis read.
Cox said: “I’m excited to be doing a play written by James Graham who is such a great writer. It’s been a long time since I played in Scotland — it’s good to be back.”
Graham added: “Like many writers, an Edinburgh stage is the first place ever I dared put a full play in front of an audience. To be invited to join the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival programme this summer is an honor and a thrill. And to work with the National Theatre of Scotland, the Dundee Rep, and of course — Brian Cox, whom I’ve been desperate to write for for as long as I can
remember.”
He continued: “We still live in the long shadow of the 2008 financial crash and our inability to reset from that inheritance and its divisive legacies, so it feels right to be interrogating it artistically. But we hope to do so in a show full of music and story, larger-than-life characters, cheeky humour, and some ghosts from Scotland’s centuries’ long past thrown in as well.”
Nicola Benedetti, Edinburgh International Festival Director, added: “Illuminating this year’s festival theme ‘The Truth We Seek’, Make it Happen exemplifies the level of ambition and thought-provoking work that defines the Edinburgh International Festival. We cannot wait to see you there.”
Read the full article here
