The Testament of Gideon Mack is finally on stage, nearly 20 years after the novel by Stirling author James Robertson made waves.
I saw it in Stirling’s MacRobert Arts Centre this weekend past. Here’s how it earned four stars in my book:
What’s it about?
The Reverend Gideon Mack is being treated in Ninewells Hospital after three amnesiac days missing in the woods near the fictional north-east Scottish village of Monimaskit.
His leg has apparently been freshly broken and then fused back together with extreme heat.
The story of his life and fall (both literal and religious) plays out in flashback.
From a strict religious upbringing from his minister father, to a series of university friendships which blossom over the decades into love, tragedy and sexual temptation, we come to learn about Gideon’s fateful confrontation with the Devil, with whom he has more in common than he expects.
What else should I know?
Produced by Matthew Zajac’s Dogstar Theatre (the company behind the hit The Tailor of Inverness), this is the stage adaptation of the modern classic Scottish novel by James Robertson, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 2006.
The 20-year wait has been worth it.
Who’s in the cast?
Kevin Lennon (Outlander‘s Lionel Menzies) shines as the doubting Gideon, whose encounter might just be the delusion of a traumatised and sick man.
Yet Zajac’s Devil feels very real and strangely amiable, while the same actor plays Gideon’s war veteran father James with a sense of palpably repressed torment.
Elsewhere the ensemble is a roll-call of great Scottish actors, including Pitlochry Festival Theatre regular Blythe Jandoo (Sunshine on Leith, The Maggie Wall) as Gideon’s wife Jenny, Molly Innes as both his mother Jenny and the local agnostic with whom he debates faith.
Katya Searle provides a powerfully creepy opening monologue on the religious folklore of Monimaskit.
Meanwhile Fraser Sivewright and Rebecca Wilkie are Gideon and Jenny’s old friends John and Elsie Moffat. Antony Strachan appears as members of the congregation.
How does it look?
Kenneth MacLeod’s design features a cleverly detachable two-part pulpit and stairs.
Meanwhile Kate Bonney’s lighting of the mysterious monolith in the woods adds to the supernatural effect.
The sound design is by Lau’s Aidan O’Rourke.
Does it work?
It’s a long play, which is often the case with a novel adaptation. But director Meghan de Chastelain and adapting writer Zajac bring Robertson’s themes together perfectly.
The production mulls over the purpose and relevance of religion to Scotland in the last half-century with heart and humour, while introducing a nicely atmospheric sense of Celtic folk horror.
Where can I see The Testament of Gideon Mack?
- The Byre Theatre in St Andrews – Thursday February 27 2025.
- Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy – Friday February 28 2025.
- Dundee Rep Theatre – March 13 and 14 2025.
Conversation