CPH Dramatics’ maiden production, Iain Heggie’s one-man-show, promises to set a high standard for the company.
This Fringe First-winning tragic-comedy centres on Tommy McMillan, a longstanding jobless Glaswegian who after 28 years on the dole has landed himself gainful employment, much to his and everyone else’s surprise.
Ironically, Tommy switches the jobcentre queue for the grey soulless interiors of the Social Inclusion office at the Scottish Civil Service.
With his newly-gained power comes great responsibility, but Tommy falls at the first faux pas when he colossally misreads a greeting by an MSP as a suggestion to become King of Scotland.
Through the course of his monologue, Tommy’s psyche deteriorates rapidly and his nonsensical mutterings of flying taxis and talking dogs only stand to further his isolation within the Social Inclusion office.
On the surface, this surreal satire parodies the workings of Scottish governance, but poke a little deeper and King of Scotland addresses issues of social inequality, mental illness and the class divide.
In truely radical fashion, audience members are being asked to pay whatever they believe the performance is worth.
