With immense force, fury, and illuminating insights into Scottish Football Culture, Saltire Sky Theatre Company’s 1902 was an exciting show at this year’s Fringe Festival, outrageously witty and entertaining.
Audiences arrive to the The Hibernian Football Club — a liminal space for Football and Theatre during the Fringe Festival — where an upstairs social area and bar become the evening’s stage; this authentic setting seemingly solidifies the show’s position as a true, and verified, homage to the Hibs.
Set in 2016, ahead of the championship, which the team hadn’t won since 1902, the narrative follows four friends, after Deeks has taken reckless measures to secure tickets to the final game. A series of male-hubris-filled chaos ensues, resulting in a heavy dosages of comedy and violence.
Calum Manchip’s “Deeks” embodies foolish charm throughout. The opening sequence is cinematographic: the fourth wall is broken, coinciding and a sharp and snappy pause in music by Sandy Bain’s The Musician, and each character is introduced, narrated by enthusiastic and energetic Manchip. At first excitable, his charisma unfolds to standoffishness when his lies unravel, and he is an engaging watch throughout.
Other standouts include Rachel MacPherson-Graham’s Mags, fierce and formidable Craig (Jonny Tulloch), and pragmatic Sambo (Nathan Scott-Dunn, also writer and co-director of 1902).
The play’s denouement involves the death of Sands Stirling’s Tony, who is an enthralling, boisterous presence. His death is a direct result of both his and Deeks’ foolish behaviours, yet the emotional response seems to bounce back quite quickly to the play’s fast-paced humour. This response felt appropriate had Tony only been injured, but ultimately was incongruous with his untimely and tragic death.
What lacks in narrative clarity however, is made up for in atmosphere: audience and performers alike join together singing ‘Sunshine on Leith’, basking in the homage to the Hibs and Scottish Culture.
A Fringe staple, 1902 is a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
Image by Mark Chan