Play, Pie and a Pint: The Deficit Show @ Oran Mor

If OTT were running for parliament, they would win my vote. Perfectly pitched in tone and note, their new production The Deficit Show is both entertaining and inspiring. 

This political cabaret is not just about facts and figures. Yes, it’s about the deficit but OTT aim to entertain and boy, do they ever. Through a series of sketches and musical numbers The Deficit Show sets the context then offers a particularly comic vision for the future. Each scene is beautifully written and perfectly paced; show stoppers are placed next to more intimate scenes, storytelling is contrasted with the energetic musical numbers. 

The cast are all versatile and talented performers, and they need to be with the standard and variety the writers have set. There’s drama, comedy and satire and the musical genres range from punk to opera and from reggae to religious chanting.

Two scenes in particular stand out. In a deliciously satirical scene, Defra pairs up with a key player in the private sector to produce a proposal addressed at tackling poverty. And the local homage to Bruce Springsteen is uplifting and tremendously understanding of the Shettleston man defined by his postcode. 

If it’s a bit earnest at the end, it’s because the message is at once complex and simple. While the UK economy is now in recovery, The Deficit Show reminds us that the journey is not over yet. Social responsibility starts with the individual and there are many deficits to be overcome. This time it really is personal.