Matthew Zajac

The Testament of Gideon Mack

06/03/25

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

Gideon Mack (Kevin Lennon) has a wee problem, one that has plagued him since his childhood. He an atheist, a belief instilled in him after growing up under the watchful eyes of his hard-bitten father, James (Matthew Zajac) , a God-fearing minister for the Church of Scotland. So why, you might ask has Gideon gone into the same profession?

Well, he’s a keen jogger and he loves nothing better than raising money for charity. Being in the church gives him the opportunity to ensure that the funds he raises go to worthwhile causes. For a long time, it seems to work, but then, out running one day, Gideon stumbles and falls into the water of a nearby gorge, a place that figures highly in the local myths and superstitions. During a mysterious absence of three days, he becomes acquainted with this fellow who is… well, to put it mildly, rather devilish.

Based on the novel by James Robertson (long-listed for the Booker prize in 2006 and itself inspired by James Hogg’s The Private Memoirs of a Justified Sinner), The Testament of Gideon Mack is an intriguing, picaresque tale that follows its protagonist from childhood to manhood, exploring the juxtaposition (and in many cases similarities) between God and Satan.

Mack is a fascinating character, never entirely evil but always open to the powers of persuasion. He’s perfectly willing to follow the advice of his wife, Jenny (Blythe Jandoo), who persuades him to go into religion in the first place – and, after her tragic death, he’s all-too willing to plunge headlong into a passionate affair with Elsie (Rebecca Wilkie) one of his parishioners, the wife of his best friend. But we know, don’t we, that such transgressions will inevitably come at a price…

Lennon is eminently watchable in the title role, nailing Gideon’s haplessness as he blunders helplessly from one complication to the next, while the true stroke of genius here is that Zajac (who also wrote this sprightly adaptation) gets to play both Gideon’s priggish father and that devilish acquaintance I mentioned earlier, thus reinforcing all their similarities. Aidan O’ Rourke contributes an immersive soundtrack, Sasha Harrington provides distinctive movement sequences for the eight-strong cast and Meghan de Chastelain directs all the various elements with considerable skill to create an effective and compelling night at the theatre.

4 stars

Philip Caveney

The Tailor of Inverness

14/11/24

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

 Matthew Zajac’s remarkable monologue tells the true story of his father, Matteusz, born in Poland and destined to be inextricably caught up in the turbulent happenings of the Second World War, despatched first to fight for his home country and then, latterly, enlisted by both the German and the Russian armies. But when we first meet Matteusz, he’s telling his young son a popular folk tale about a boy and his father, pursued through the snow by a pack of wolves. Zajac speaks initially in Polish, the translated words projected onto a backdrop that is itself a collage of countless garments, plastered onto a wall. As Zajac talks, fiddle player Gavin Marwick provides an inventive accompaniment and the musician remains onstage throughout, his playing reflecting the varying moods.

Zajac soon switches to English, speaking in his father’s voice (with a delightful Polish/Scottish accent), telling us of his early days in Glasgow: how he first became a tailor and how he eventually ended up in the more tranquil environs of Inverness. It’s warm, amusing stuff, but it’s evident as he talks that there’s more – much more – that he is not ready to reveal right now. It’s only as the story progresses that the various threads are unravelled and the hard truths emerge. When Hitler’s forces invade Poland, Matteusz’s life is irrevocably disrupted and, in the desperate struggle to survive, this man’s ultimate loyalty can only be to himself.

Of course, real life has none of the convenience of fiction and sometimes Matteusz’s story is so complex, so labyrinthine, it’s hard for me to get a fix on exactly what’s happening. Maps are projected onto the backdrop to illustrate Matteusz’s travels during the years of conflict – from Poland to Russia, from Galicia to Africa. A series of different uniforms are pressed into service to depict his switching loyalties. Well, not loyalties exactly, but which particular army he is next forced to enlist in.

Zajac is an accomplished storyteller and he manages to hold a packed audience spellbound as, in the later sections of the narrative, he switches from being his father to being himself, as he sets out on a mission to unravel the parts of Matteusz’s life that have been kept hidden – and to track down the sibling that Matthew didn’t even know existed. 

It’s an extraordinary tale and it’s weirdly unsettling to hear Zajac talking about the butchery going on between Russians and Ukrainians back down the years, only to reflect how essentially nothing has changed. The Tailor of Inverness is by no means a perfect piece of theatre – I feel sure that solving the issues of those more bewildering sections is not beyond the efforts of a playwright – but perhaps the play’s continuing success points to the old adage of not fixing what isn’t broken. 

And there’s little doubting the exuberant applause which Zajac receives as he takes his final bow.

3.7 stars

Philip Caveney

The Stornoway Way

12/10/19

Studio Theatre, Edinburgh

Adapted by Kevin MacNeil from his 2005 novel, The Stornoway Way is the story of Roman (Naomi Stirrat), a would-be singer-songwriter living on the remote Isle of Lewis. Roman dreams of making the big time, but can’t seem to prise himself away from the whisky bottle long enough to put any constructive plans into action.

When his best friend Eilidh (Rachel Kennedy) offers to fund a trip to Edinburgh so Roman can spend time in a recording studio, he happily goes along with the scheme – but then he meets Hungarian student, Eva (Chloe-Ann Taylor), in an Edinburgh bar, and things become more complicated. And the whisky bottle is still exerting its tenacious pull.

The three actors put in spirited performances here but are hampered by a script that never manages to rise above the inescapable fact that the central character is a self-pitying wreck of a man. It’s usual in such stories to expect a little redemption along the way, but it’s in short supply here.

Still. it’s not all bad news.

There are pleasing elements: the folky songs featuring Gaelic lyrics (with an onscreen English translation) give proceedings an occasional lift, and the sly quips exchanged by the Lewis islanders in the first half elicit knowing laughter from the audience. Matthew Zajac’s direction is nicely done and there’s a handsome set courtesy of Ali Maclaurin. But it’s puzzling that, despite its title, most of the story unfolds not on the Isle of Lewis, but in Edinburgh. And in the second half, Roman’s relentless journey towards self-destruction begins to pall.

I’ve no doubt that the novel, written from the lead character’s cynical point of view, works a good deal more successfully than this rather scattershot adaptation. And, no matter how spirited a performance Stirrat gives us, she cannot convince me that anybody would offer this toxic male the time of day.

3 stars

Philip Caveney