Written by James Graham

Directed by Andrew Panton

The Festival Theatre

Make It Happen, debuting at the Edinburgh International Festival, is a searing, frequently exhilarating piece of ensemble drama that balances razor-edged satire with surreal intensity. Directed with flair and no shortage of ambition by Andrew Panton, it dares to grapple with avarice, self-mythologising, and power, all through the prism of a distinctly Scottish—and fiercely Lothian local—lens. If the production occasionally veers into surreal avenues, it remains a compelling and deeply theatrical meditation on what it means to want, and who gets to take. Bold, inventive, and cutthroat – it’s the perfect opener to a strong Edinburgh International Festival

At the centre of this whirling storm is Sandy Grierson, whose magnetic performance anchors the work’s wild tonal shifts in a truly astonishing manner. Their lynchpin role as Fred Goodwin (the former ‘Sir’) is grotesquely aspirational—a man who sees Edinburgh not just as a home but as a stage for personal empire-building. The man at the helm of the world’s largest bank, RBS, gobbling up to an endlessly hollow stomach, and right at the centre of the Global Market Crash 2008 – and how Scotland was at the very rotten core of it all. Grierson commands attention with every turn with silent authority and physicality: slinking between comedic frenzy and devastating brutality, they render the Goodwin’s descent into hysteria believable and bold. Even at peak manic moments, they maintain a chilling clarity, allowing the audience to see the gears grinding underneath the chaos.

Encircled by a near Greek chorus, the lives of the regular banking customers, workers, and politicians who were blind to, and yes, even benefited from, is a repertoire of some of Scotland’s most influential stars; rising and established. Notably, the likes of So Young’s Andy Clark make more prominent roles as the dour Scot, Gordon Brown, Gavin Jon Wright as a snivelling RBS high-riser, and the eternal presence of Ann Louise Ross – the other guide through all of this, the voice of the ‘common soul’ alongside a chipper cameo of Laura Kuenssberg from recent CATS outstanding performance award winner, Kirsty Findlay.

Thematically, Make It Happen thrives on paradox. There is an infectious energy in its portrayal of unchecked ambition, but it also critiques the very mechanisms that enable it. Scenes built around transactional relationships, exploitative deals, and shifting allegiances evoke power dynamics that feel simultaneously theatrical and eerily familiar. The play’s greed isn’t just financial—it’s existential, a hunger for identity, legacy, and control, all simmering beneath the surface of Edinburgh’s polished facades.

Visually, the show dazzles. The lighting design—by far one of its standout achievements—employs harsh angles, saturated colour washes, and sudden blackouts to echo the emotional volatility of the piece. Moments of calm are rare but stunning, such as an extended sequence under icy ‘royal’ blue hues that reflect Sandy’s isolation and internal reckoning. The set mirrors Edinburgh’s duality: high-rise ambition meets cobbled tradition, with clever modular design and shifting panels that evoke both grandeur and decay; its levels of structure a playful nod to the city on top of another.

Where the first act crackles with purpose and dramatic tension, the second act begins to lose its way. The narrative momentum softens, and while moments of surreal detour are intriguing, they lack the clarity and punch of earlier scenes. A smart choice to enable Grierson and the cast’s flourishing, Brian Cox is, as expected, marvellously aloof, and playful as Adam Smith – but often adds noise without depth and doesn’t quite match the emotional stakes plateau before the show’s conclusion. Though when Cox is able, through strolls around Edinburgh with old chums, cast in iron statues, Make It Happen finds that gorgeous balance the city does so well; modernity collides with nostalgia.

James Graham’s play remains a powerful invocation of Scottish identity—one that doesn’t settle only for romantic nostalgia or political platitude. Instead, it interrogates the city’s contradictions: its artsy sheen versus corporate hunger, its civic pride versus exclusionary practices. Make It Happen holds a mirror to Edinburgh and asks if its reflection is something we’re ready to confront; spoilers – we’re not. Near perfect, but necessary theatre, and with Grierson at the helm, it’s an experience both breathtaking and brutal. And if commerce and coin are no longer Scotland’s greatest mark on the world stage, perhaps, now the arts, our humanity, can be what we project on the global market? But then they’ll simply ask, ‘where’s the capital in that?’ Even in a near sold-out Festival Theatre.

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