Edinburgh Fringe: Continuous Growth – Pleasance Dome

Writer: Esa Leskinen & Sami Keski-Vahala

Adaptation: Catherine Grosvenor

Reviewer: Deborah Klayman

The Public Reviews Rating:

On entering the theatre the audience are met by cheerful flight attendants who suggest the best seats to sit in and chat chirpily to them while they wait. Announcing they are ready for take off, the performance begins and we are whisked away to the world of Andy Axelgrinder. On a flight and encountering terrible turbulence, Andy’s life flashes before his eyes, giving us an insight into his journey up to this point.

A well-written piece which has been stylishly and stylistically staged, Continuous Growth is a thoughtful play about productivity, prosperity and providence. Inspired by Gogol’s The Overcoat and adapted from the original Finnish play, this is the tale of a Scottish businessman who wants small but dreams big. Finding his skills as an engineer are becoming disposable in the current economy of redundancies and recession. He longs for a three-bedroom house leafy Bearsden to accommodate his wife, kids and very own shed, but instead ends up alone with only Special Brew and Jesus for company. His next idea brings him untold wealth but inadvertently destroys the world economy, leading him to the flight that began the piece.

With a stellar cast and intelligent script, this play is something out of the ordinary and all the better for it. A quirky comedy with likeable characters and a plot that makes you think, this is a hilarious satire about runaway debt, financial chaos, and discovering what true value is in life. A truly enjoyable production, you will never laugh so hard at economic meltdown.