The Overcoat

The Overcoat by Ryhmäteatteri, Finland’s leading independent theatre stays true to the themes of Nikolai Gogol’s everyman short story, whilst updating the story to encompass an acerbic satire of the last forty years of banking history, from the prudence of the 1970s to the global debt crisis of today.

The Scottish cast includes Billy Mack in the central role of Akaky McKaky, an unassuming bank clerk, supported by five other actors who play 40 characters between them. Mack won The Stage Award for Best Actor at the 2011 Fringe, making him the first person to win the coveted Stage Award for a second time.

This version was adapted by Scottish playwright Catherine Grosvenor and is directed by half Scottish Finn Aleksis Meaney. It is the first time the company has produced a play in English.

As well as the Stage award, the Edinburgh run received very positive reviews. The Scotsman found it “Intensely moving” and Libby Purves in The Times called it “a delight”.