POLITICAL THEATRE
Showing @ Pleasance Dome until 29 August @ 12:25
As rioters and looters face the heavy hand of the law, the bankers who ultimately created the economic and social mess we find ourselves in today are flourishing in a pile of bonuses. But it’s not just society that the banks chew up and spit out, but their own employees as well. In this satirical comedy-cum-tragedy, The Overcoat tells the story of passive everyman Akaky McKaky’s forty-year career.
Insightful and alarmingly familiar, this is a powerful and highly topical piece of theatre. Originally written by Gogol and adapted for the Scottish stage by Catherine Grosvenor, the damaging potential of the banks is presented as ruthless, limitless and insatiably greedy, encouraging its customers to invest in ridiculous schemes and working its staff quite literally into the ground. In this fickle world where people are seen as little more than commodities, David Cameron’s new notion of the “Big Society” does nothing to aid someone destroyed by the same society that’s supposed to help him, instead leaving the individual to fight unsuccessfully for himself.
The simple set is brought to life by evocative lighting and a few multi-use props. The actors are impressively diverse, each able to convincingly play a range of characters with some astonishingly quick costume changes – of which there are numerous. The snappy pace of the action drives the story forwards and keeps it both engaging and comical, and it’s only when a more serious tone sets in towards the end that a slight drag can begin to be felt. The sound effects – usually backing music – add energy and emotion as well as a much-needed time frame to the play, but can be a little overpowering, drowning out some important dialogue. This, however, does little to distract from a highly thought-provoking production which is a must-see in the current political climate.