The Devil’s Larder

Based on the novel by Jim Crace
Adapted and directed by Ben Harrison

8th October – 15th November 2015

A site-responsive, promenade production on tour to Custom House Leith in Edinburgh, The Haining in Selkirk, the Rockfield Centre in Oban & The Melvich Hotel near Thurso in Sutherland.

Join us on a journey into the culinary underworld of Jim Crace’s teasingly dark novella.

The Devil’s Larder winds a sinuous and treacherous path through narrative episode, story-telling, loved music and song to examine the envy, love, loss and lust which seethe beneath the false calm of the menu, the dinner table and the recipe.

Originally commissioned as part of Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture celebrations before coming home to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Devil’s Larder received a clutch of awards including a Scotsman Fringe First, a Herald Archangel and a Total Theatre Award.

For this tenth anniversary remount, Grid Iron were delighted to be take the show to four extraordinary buildings around the country.

Production photography by Richard Campbell

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What The Press Said

“a performance for everyone’s tastebuds… a mysteriously charming performance… We delve into an underworld of the unknown, the unlabelled, the secrets you don’t want to see. A delicious feast of ideas and representations of the human condition and its relationship with food and, most resonant in today’s climate, its relationship with refugees. This is here and now, on earth… The Devil’s Larder is filled with dark poetry of the human condition but with a side plate of wit and quirkiness, which combine to make an endearing piece of theatre.”

TV Bomb★★★★

“a deliciously wicked adult treat – veiled but visible beneath the surface we find each one of the seven deadly sins, together with death itself, surging and merging with all the foodie references in one giant bowl of sinister, sexy, sickening, angel delight… The whole experience, strange as it sometimes is, should be savoured – with or without relish.”

Edinburghguide.com★★★★

“there is much pleasure to be derived from Crace’s sumptuous writing, which is used to season this collection of yarns to mouthwatering effect.”

The Times

“The Devil’s Larder is an experience with moments to be relished.”

Across The Arts★★★★

“This sumptuous site-responsive tour touches on food as both a source of pleasure and a harbinger of mortality.”

The Guardian★★★★

“a feast for the senses”

The Herald★★★★

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View Our Programme

To read more information about the show, including the Director’s Note and team biographies, have a look through our production programme.

Download our programme pdf here

Cast

Johnny Austin

Charlene Boyd

Ashley Smith

Antony Strachan

David Paul Jones (piano and vocals)

Mary Macmaster (harp)

Production Team

Based on the novel by:
Jim Crace

Director/Adaptor:
Ben Harrison

Producer:
Judith Doherty

Music written by:
David Paul Jones & Mary Macmaster

Music performed by:
David Paul Jones and Mary Macmaster

Costume Design:
Alison Brown

Set Design:
Claire Halleran

Lighting Design:
Paul Claydon

Production Manager:
Fiona Fraser

Technical Manager:
Roy Fairhead

Stage Manager:
Mickey Graham

Deputy Stage Manager:
Kara Jackson

Production Technician:
Amir Sherhan

Finance & Development Manager:
Deborah Crewe

Print Design:
Emma Quinn

Print Image:
Euan Myles

PR:
The Cornershop

Other support:
Emily Bates (Set), Abbi Dawson (ASM), Bel Gilbert-Scott (Scenic Art), J&B Scenery (Set Build)

Thank you to:
Cliff Dolliver, Set Designer on the 2005 production, and his colleague Davy Dummigan, for their permission to use a few props for the original show.

VENUES

We had four incredible venues for The Devil’s Larder 2015.

We began the tour in the magnificent Custom House in Leith which, as it is directly across the road from our office, is the nearest site to our company base we’ve ever had.

We then spent a brilliant week in The Haining in Selkirk, signalling the first time we had been able to perform in the Scottish Borders since 1996. The Haining is a beautiful country manor house which is being lovingly restored by The Haining Trust to host a myriad of events for the people of the town.

Following this we had a fantastic time in the Rockfield Centre, a former primary school in the heart of Oban which the Oban Communities Trust (a fantastic bunch of folk) are steadily transforming into an arts and social hub for the community.

And we finished our tour right up on the very north coast of the mainland in the beautiful Melvich Hotel, which we would heartily recommend for a stay should you find yourself in the area (either for surfing or otherwise!).