FringeReview Scotland 2026
Derby Day
Without Compromise Theatre
Genre: New Writing, Theatre
Venue: Duns Volunteer Hall
Festival: FringeReview Scotland
Low Down
A lifelong friend is gone and, whilst the investigation drags on, does someone know more than they’re letting on? On the day of the Edinburgh footie derby, secrets come out, scars of the past burn anew and relationships are pushed to breaking point.
Review
Scottish football derby days are a law unto themselves. There are three in the SPL alone and a veritable plethora in the numerous other leagues, some of which have now been consigned to the dustbin of history due to clubs folding, but enough still remain to ensure excitement across the nation’s cities at regular points during the season.
In Glasgow it’s the Old Firm clash that matters. In Edinburgh look no further than Hearts versus Hibs for your dose of internecine rivalry. Football supporters are tribal beasts, where emotion takes over and intelligence flies oot the windae. And it’s this Edinburgh derby that forms the backdrop to Michael Johnson’s chillingly close to real life play, Derby Days, presented here as part of the DunsPlayFest.
A man has been brutally murdered in a frenzied, disfiguring knife attack that left the victim barely identifiable, throwing the small Fife town in which the incident took place into turmoil, its citizens fearing for their community and its safety.
The polis are sniffing around too, hunting the killer. Danny and Harris, like many of the victim’s long standing friends, are trying to come to terms with what happened to Shaun. They’ve both been interviewed by the boys in blue but, with the prospect of a second round beckoning, they’re meeting in Danny’s flat, ostensibly to watch the game on TV, but in reality trying to make sure that they’ve got their stories straight.
With Jade, Danny’s partner, heavily pregnant and Chloe, Danny’s sister, traumatised by Shaun’s murder and the fact that her father will soon be returning home, released early from his prison sentence, the girls are persuaded to head north to Dundee to stay with Jade’s mother, buying the boys time and space in which to attempt to find a way out of their dilemma.
In between bouts of raging at the action unfolding on the TV, Danny and Harris rage at each other as each tries to rationalise recent events and ensure that there’s an appropriately safe distance between themselves and the victim, and that they are clearly beyond suspicion. But weaving tangled webs when first you practice to deceive is a dangerous game.
The denouement arrives with a degree of inevitability. But as realisation dawns and the tensions break, there’s a growing sense of empathy towards the perpetrator, an understanding of what caused them to snap, leaving poignancy hanging in the air as an eery silence descends on the auditorium, the audience slowly coming to terms with what has unfolded.
Derby Day pulls no punches in addressing the systemic issues that continue to threaten close, working class communities across Scotland – rape, incest, unending cyclical violence and especially knife crime, where there is worrying empirical evidence of incidents involving blades continuing to increase.
Johnson’s writing comes from the heart, and is all the more powerful for it. The acting is similarly powerful, with bravura performances from Xander Cowan (Danny) and Kieren Lee-Hamilton (Harris), the latter a raging force of rationality in a seemingly irrational situation. Kirsty Stevenson (Jade) provides maternal support, particularly to the vulnerable, abused Maria Woodside (Chloe) as the latter slowly finds way to deal with her multiple traumas. Lucy Pedersen’s direction is assured, alternately building and releasing tension as the story unfolds. And Donny Menzies monochromatic set is an inspiration, the only flash of colour allowed being Danny’s Hibs shirt.
It’s a gruelling fifty minutes from Without Compromise Theatre, a company that’s at the top of its game. Derby Day left its mark on the audience and, given the emotional intensity evident on stage, quite possibly the actors too. But the message comes across, loud and clear. Where sexual abuse and violence are concerned, deprivation equates to causation. The question is, however, what efforts will our political masters make to address this blight on society? As a fresh cohort of political newbies revels in the opportunities for vainglorious promotion following our latest trip to the voting booth, my fear is that the answer remains foxtrot alpha.
