“Make It Happen,” Edinburgh Festival Theatre 2025

The Edinburgh International Festival this year, welcomes several international trailblazers like FC Bergman and William Kentridge, alongside a cluster of new political plays about censorship straight from London’s Arcola Theatre.

James Graham’s Make it Happen, playing at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre as part of the EIF from the 1 to 9 August, explores a complex topic: the rise and fall of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). It follows in the wake of other political plays on the subject of money, finance and financial turmoil, like Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money, Lucy Prebble’s Enron and Stefano Massini’s The Lehman Trilogy. As might be expected, Graham’s play has attracted a great deal of media attention, since it puts in the spotlight a Scottish institution, founded in 1772 during the Scottish Enlightenment, which, given its prudent policies, represented stability and traditional values for many Scots. In addition, after a decade, legendary actor Brian Cox returns to the Scottish stage to play Adam Smith, the eighteenth-century Scottish economist and philosopher, widely acknowledged as the founder of economics.

A programme note states that Make it Happen is “a fictionalised satire, featuring a mixture of characters and incidents inspired by real-life events, with others entirely imagined.” As such, it traces the huge changes in policy that took place in the late 1990s, leading up to the financial crash in 2008. Centre stage is Fred Godwin, the man who steered the RBS through these transformations. From the outset, this unassuming, quiet mannered working-class man from Paisley, a charted accountant by profession, stands out from a large group of much brasher and more confident colleagues. Appearances, of course, can be deceptive, and Goodwin soon reveals his true colours. In a sequence of short, fast-paced scenes, we witness his aggressive, unscrupulous tactics and lack of transparency in the workplace, while at the same time, he carves out a phenomenal career for himself. From 2001 to 2009, he occupies the role of CEO in an institution which he turns into the biggest bank in the world. Fred, the Shred’s (Goodwin’s nickname) mantra, ‘Make it Happen’, is reiterated multiple times, at crucial turning points in the story. Graham dramatises this gripping rollercoaster ride by astutely selecting key moments in Goodwin’s rise and fall, such as the meeting between him and his fellow Scots, Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister, and Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, who are keen to negotiate a bailout of RSB when its funds nearly run out, and time is of the essence. Tension runs high, because Goodwin, until the very last moment, refuses to vote on the issue.

Make It Happen, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025. Photo credit Marc Brenner.

Interestingly, Fred’s alter ego is Adam Smith, and wielding a magic wand, Graham brings Smith back to life to haunt Goodwin. Some of the most satirically instructive dialogues ensue as these two men meet. Sporting a splendid 18th century costume, complete with a white, powdered wig, Smith expresses his bewilderment at Goodwin’s admiration and at the huge recognition his theories enjoy in 21st century Scotland. Introducing a playful moment in an otherwise serious play, Smith goes shopping in downtown Edinburgh. And, like a boy in a toyshop, he brings back souvenirs of hand cream and scented candles, purchased from John Lewis, one of Scotland’s favourite department stores. The tragicomic climax of the play sees Goodwin and Smith at loggerheads. The former has just been sacked and the financial markets have plummeted. Seeing Goodwin’s despair, Smith quips, “You’ve got yourself into a bit of a pickle, Fred – Idiot!” His tone soon changes, though, as he attacks the already battered Goodwin. First, Smith proudly declares that he is a moral philosopher and not an economist, so Goodwin has got him completely wrong. Second, Goodwin has misinterpreted the Wealth of Nations, by ignoring the writer’s instructions to practice charity and compassion, while paying heed to the poor. Smith places his work, Theory of Moral Sentiments, squarely in Goodwin’s hands, with the admonition that this would have provided him with a much superior blueprint for his project. Interwoven into the dialogues are well-known songs from the 1990s and New Millennium – Adele and Kylie Minogue, among others, jostle for our attention. Sung by the entire cast, they serve to recall an era that was far more optimistic and carefree than today, but at times they tend to hinder plot development. The projected visuals, a mix of Neoclassical grey columns and modern high-rise buildings, conjure up a stunning cityscape, characterising today’s Edinburgh. Supported by a strong cast, Brian Cox (Adam Smith) and Sandy Grierson (Fred Goodwin) give truly memorable performances. Award-winning director, Andrew Panton deftly brings out the contrast between the big chorus scenes and the more intimate dialogues in people’s offices, making good use of the large stage of the Festival Theatre. Make it Happen is a joint production, involving National Theatre of Scotland, Dundee Rep, and Edinburgh International Festival.

Make It Happen, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025. Photo credit Marc Brenner.

Production

James Graham (Writer), Andrew Panton (Director), Anna Fleischle (Set Designer, Costume Co-Designer & Video Co-Designer ) , Emily Jane Boyle (Movement Director ), Martin Lowe (Musical Supervisor, Composer & Arranger ), Lewis den Hertog (Video Co-Designer & Animator), Tingying Dong (Sound Designer), Lizzie Powell (Lighting Designer).

Performers

Brian Cox (Adam Smith), Sandy Grierson (Fred Goodwin), Andy Clark (Gordon Brown), Sandy Batchelor (Alistair Darling), Hannah Donaldson, (Rita), Callum Cuthbertson (George Mathewson), Anne Louise Ross (Mary Mackenzie), Lawrence Smith (Elliot)
Cameo roles played by the ensemble – Kirsty Findlay, Lorraine Graham , Graham Mackay-Bruce, David Mara, Declan Spaine, Gavin Jon Wright

Running time

175mins