Impressively adapted for stage by Matthew Zajac, The Testament of Gideon Mack is transformed from James Robertson's original, and brilliant, novel into a robust and highly reflective play, that is impressively brought to life by Dogstar Theatre Company’s accomplished ensemble cast. A provocative play, that does not shy away from a collection of well used profanities, the plot examines the phenomenon of faith, and how it comes to shape and move us, dare we choose to believe in it or not.
A provocative play, that does not shy away from a collection of well used profanities
Opening with an eerily performed old Scots tale, narrated by Katya Searle, recounting the tricksy bargainings of the devil, the play is rooted in a particularly Scottish scenery, that draws out the chasms between old Scottish Presbyterianism, local mythologies and an increasingly secular world. Gideon Mack, an energetic lead performed by Kevin Lennon, has followed in his fathers footsteps to be a Church of Scotland Minister for a small, tight-knit Scottish community. However, despite his benevolent commitment to charity, Gideon harbours a secret lack of faith. His epistemological certainty is, however, tested when Gideon is found shaken, but alive, after a death-defying mountain tumble from which he went missing for three mysterious days. His subsequent testimony, as played out before us, reveals a shocking supernatural twist, as we witness his encounters with the devil and delve deeper into the meaning of good, evil, and faith.
Lennon’s Gideon is a mammoth role, with a hefty stage time, but his presence is energetic and likeable, and he creates a nuanced performance filled with Gideon’s hopes and doubts, as he navigates death, the devil, and his family. Around him, the tight ensemble cast perform an array of impressive characters. Molly Innes is enthralling, perfecting the sharp contrast between a modest, tightly controlled Minister’s wife and mother, and later as an exuberantly agnostic, pot-smoking, parish eccentric.
It is the playwright himself, Mr Zajac, who most commands the stage though, with his brilliant portrayals of both Gideon’s austere father and the Devil himself. His portrayal of James Mack is striking, showing the potent anger and frustration resting beneath the veneer of his religious righteousness, it is a character that fills the stage with a certain silent sadness despite his commanding ways. His devil is impish, bored by the worlds autonomy in destroying itself, he is fixated instead on the lonely, those questioning souls like Gideon who find mysterious rocks in woods and stop to notice.
Directed by Meghan de Chastelain, and with movement coordinated by Sasha Harrington, the staging is impressively managed for a touring performance, with highly orchestrated movement atmospherically arranging the scenes. The set, designed by Kenneth MacLeod, maximised simplicity to striking success. Capturing a microcosm of the play itself, is the image of the moving pulpit, positioned in the centre of the stage as it’s lit by the foreboding red glow of the large and mysterious rock that cast the murky flickers of the underworld across the stage. Likewise, audio and sound design, led by Aidan O’Rourke is utilised atmospherically, with audio clippings of Thatcherism, the miners' strike, land invasions and The Clash rooting the play in time.
An innovative performance, The Testament of Gideon Mack, is intriguing and thought-provoking, and positions the Dogstar Theatre Company as talent well deserving of the financial support necessary to create creative and timely performances like this.
