- Running time 2 hours 40 minutes (including interval)
Get tickets to Make It Happen – A Bitingly Funny New Satire from James Graham starring Brian Cox
Behold the rise, fall and fail of the biggest bank in the world – The Royal Bank of Scotland.
Helmed by Fred “The Shred” Goodwin, with his fervent belief in the wisdom of the ‘founder of modern capitalism’, Adam Smith, the once prudent RBS soars and then plummets, placing Scotland at the heart of the global financial crash of 2008.
Set in Edinburgh, Make it Happen sees legendary actor Brian Cox (Succession, HBO) star as Adam Smith, the ghost of fiscal past, with Sandy Grierson (Lanark) as Fred Goodwin.
Written by James Graham (Sherwood, Dear England), hailed as one of the most influential and finger-on-the-pulse writers of our time, and directed by the award-winning Andrew Panton, this bitingly funny new satire delves into the unchecked growth, spiralling greed and nail-biting hubris that brought the world’s economy to its knees.
Make It Happen is running at Dundee Rep from 18 to 26 July 2025, and the Festival Theatre Edinburgh from 30 July to 9 August 2025. Sign up now to stay updated on all the latest news, including any announcements about a West End transfer for Make It Happen.
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Stars and Creatives
Who is in the cast of Make It Happen?
Starring Brian Cox as Adam Smith. and Sandy Grierson as Fred Goodwin
The ensemble includes Sandy Batchelor, Andy Clark, Maya Bassi Curtis, Callum Cuthbertson, Charlotte Delima, Hannah Donaldson, Kirsty Findlay, Lorraine Graham, Graham Mackay-Bruce, David Mara, Ann Louise Ross, Lawrence Smith, Declan Spaine and Gavin Jon Wright, playing Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling, Maggie Darling, Shriti Vadera, Laura Kuenssberg and key players at the Royal Bank of Scotland, joined on stage by live musicians
Who are the creative team of Make It Happen?
Written by James Graham.
Directed by Andrew Panton with set design by Anna Fleischle, costume co-designed by Anna Fleischle and Angelica Rush, movement direction by Emily Jane Boyle, musical supervision and arrangement by Martin Lowe, lighting design by Lizzie Powell, sound design by Tingying Dong, video co-designed by Lewis den Hertog and Anna Fleischle, associate designer Angelica Rush, and casting director Stuart Burt.
Co-produced by National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and Dundee Rep Theatre, in association with Playful Productions and Neal Street Productions
Important Notes
Content guidance: Contains strong language, sexual depictions, bright lights and loud noise.
Note: This is a fictionalised satire, featuring a mixture of characters and incidents inspired by real-life events, with others entirely imagined.
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AppleCritics' reviews of Make It Happen
★★★★★ “Brian Cox is spellbinding in James Graham’s most definitive drama yet” Telegraph
★★★★ “Fresh and exciting. It’ll be a hit, and it deserves to be” What's On Stage
★★★★ “Spectacular” The Scotsman
★★★★ “James Graham's dazzling comedy-drama” The Arts Desk
★★★ “Brian Cox is hauntingly good” The New York Times
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News about Make It Happen
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Full cast announced for James Graham’s new play Make It Happen starring Brian Cox
Edinburgh International Festival announces 2025 programme including Brian Cox in James Graham’s Make It Happen
James Graham’s new play Make It Happen to star Brian Cox
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