Assembly Hall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe; 9th August 2015 Even without the projected dictionary definitions that start the show, it’s understood that the 360 of the title is all about revolutions of a circular sense; within a very short while, it’s also clear that this Australian show revolutionises the traditional circus form for a youth culture of today, […]
CHESHIRE CATS – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✭ Great Big Grins:
Life-affirming and hugely funny, Cheshire Cats at Saughtonhall United Reformed Church is a rare treat indeed.
THE TITANIC ORCHESTRA – Edinburgh Fringe
DARK COMEDY FROM A FRACTURED EUROPE. BUT WHERE’S THE BEAR? Only in Edinburgh’s August are you likely to find an immense, patient queue snaking round the block for half an hour, unable to get to the bar, in order to … Continue reading →
THE MAIDS – Edinburgh Fringe
GENET GENIUS? Hmmmm From time to time, the seeker for cultural enlightenment must deliberately book in to the works of some author he or she can’t see the point of. For some its Beckett, for others Sarah Kane, for many the … Continue reading →
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✩ Swift & dynamic:
An energetic and effervescent force runs through Gin and Tonic Productions take on one of Shakespeare’s most imaginative and delightful comedies.
RINGSIDE – Edinburgh Fringe
Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival Fringe; 11th August 2015 Hands covered in chalk dust, I wander away from the aptly named Demonstration Room, feeling like I should have touched that trapeze. Should have jumped up and hung, felt something tangible instead of played the observer for a change. Ellie DuBois’ unique one-to-one close up circus experience Ringside provides time for […]
THE RAVEN – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✭ Perfect madness:
Searching for perfection, the Bawsoot Theatre Company gets pretty close in its cleverly crafted production of The Raven.
MAY I HAVE THE BILL PLEASE? – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✩✩ A comical faff
Young critics scheme review
Witty middleclass middle-aged comedy, May I Have The Bill Please? by Robin Mitchell overanalyses what happens when a group of adults are given the bill for a meal.
THE GAME’S AFOOT – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✩✩ Elementary but entertaining:
There is solid, well-crafted entertainment in The Edinburgh Makars’ production of The Game’s Afoot or Holmes For The Holidays. Genuine thrills and spills are in short supply, but great pains have been taken to make a rewarding whole.
THE OUTSIDE – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✩✩ Eccentric
Young critics scheme review
A humorous combination of clowning and multimedia magic makes The Outsider appeal to children and adults alike and produces a show unlike any other. This one man show is certainly a spectacle.
ONE NIGHT AT BIG SEXY CIRCUS CITY… – Edinburgh Fringe
Big Sexy Circus City, Edinburgh Festival Fringe; 8th August 2015 One of two dedicated venues for circus work this year at Edinburgh Fringe (the other being the teething problem-fraught Underbelly Circus Hub), Big Sexy Circus City is home to two tent venues, as well as outdoor performance spaces and the all-important bar. I will admit that […]
SWALLOW – Edinburgh Fringe
ENJOY BEING A GIRL? UM, NOT REALLY… Stef Smith’s new play – after her acclaimed debut with ROADKILL – is skilfully written, elegantly performed, and curiously annoying. It is a portmanteau compendium of young urban 21c female angst and self-harm . … Continue reading →
My Edinburgh Diary: From Love Birds to solo shows, politics, circus, stand-up and more
Food poisoning, the infamous “festival flu” or some other strain of (literally) gut-wrenching misery? Whatever it was, I became quite violently ill on the train journey home from Edinburgh yesterday. When we arrived at King’s Cross station in London, my partner Peter had to half-carry me into a taxi to take me home, where I […]
SKINS AND HOODS – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✩✩ Overcomplicated:
Skins and Hoods at the French Institute is an ambitious multimedia production whose most successful elements are those closest to traditional theatre.
DEATH AND THE MAIDEN – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✩ Painfully poignant:
Emotionally charged, Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group’s production of Death and a Maiden is poignant, gripping and full of pain.
THE WITCH OF EDMONTON – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✩✩✩ Tragically complex:
Based on a Jacobean play written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford in 1621, the Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group’s production of The Witch of Edmonton is a curious and intense tragi-comedy that confuses as much as it entertains.
FRAXI QUEEN OF THE FOREST – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✩ Entertaining
Junior Review by Cora Dibdin:
Fraxi is an ash tree and she is queen of the forest because she is very tall. Fraxi is played by a woman dressed up and she uses her arms and hands as branches. She talks and moves around.
WILLIE AND SEBASTIAN – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✩ Immoral compass:
Foul-mouthed and funny, Willie and Sebastian is far removed from what might be expected of the established double act of Andy Gray and Grant Stott. Nevertheless it provides an entertaining hour, with Gray in particular close to his very best.
HONK! – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✭✩ Smashing
Young critics scheme review:
Fun and entertaining, Honk!, Anthony Drewe’s modern adaptation of The Ugly Duckling performed as part of Captivate Theatre’s three week Fringe Experience, adds depth to a timeless classic.
SKINS AND HOODS – Edinburgh Fringe
✭✭✭✩✩ Intense:
There is an interesting perspective on discrimination and identity in Skins and Hoods at the French Institute.