The West End hits central Edinburgh this week, as Cole Porter’s seaborne musical Anything Goes sails into the Festival Theatre for a very limited run until this Sunday.
NEWS: Scotland’s Capital Theatres has received £168,000 National Lottery support
Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, has received £168,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its three venues – Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and The Studio – through this period of closure.
‘Does exactly what it says on the tin’: CIRQUE BERSERK – Touring ★★★
Newbury-based circus company Cirque Berserk! appears at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre as part of its 2020 tour. The company brands itself as ‘Real Circus made for Theatre’ and it does exactly what it says on the tin.
‘Funny, heart-warming & joyous show’: EVERYBODY’S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE – Touring ★★★★
A real joy to watch from start to finish. the story behind Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is one of courage against adversity, but one that is full of humour and love too.
‘Enough energy to light Hampton Court for 500 years’: SIX THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★
You’ll lose your head over Six The Musical, which is bringing a new audience to the Festival Theatre just a week ahead of the show’s Broadway debut.
‘Still wonderfully magical’: BEAUTY & THE BEAST – Touring ★★★★
Birmingham Royal Ballet puts on a truly magical and haunting performance of David Bintley’s Beauty & the Beast.
‘Delivers a thoroughly enjoyable & entertaining night out’: GHOST THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★
A refreshingly strong turn from Rebekah Lowings ensures that the latest touring production of Ghost The Musical is alive and vibrant at the Festival Theatre, despite the show’s cloying sentimentality.
‘Remains a thing of considerable beauty’: CINDERELLA – Edinburgh ★★★★
Scottish Ballet’s Cinderella, back at the Festival Theatre this Christmas, is still a festive treat. Christopher Hampson’s celebrated production of Prokofiev’s ballet, originally seen in New Zealand and first presented in Europe by the company in 2015, has huge reserves of charm and elegance.
‘High-octane, utterly feel-good show’: NATIVITY! THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★
All Edinburgh Theatre’s Hugh Simpson went along to the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh to catch Nativity! The Musical.
‘Just experience the production as something elusive & unknowable’: RAMBERT: LIFE IS A DREAM – Touring ★★★
Rambert’s Life is a Dream is a peculiar, poetic piece that suffers from pulling in too many directions at once.
‘There is nothing new being said here’: MACBETH – Touring ★★★
There is a peculiar absence of majesty at the heart of the National Theatre’s touring production of Macbeth.
‘Constant wonder at the skill in storytelling’: MATTHEW BOURNE’S SWAN LAKE – Touring ★★★★★
It’s 23 years since Mathew Bourne changed the gender of the swans in Swan Lake for his choreography of the ballet but it still stands the test of time.
‘Remains oddly uninvolving’: THE LAST SHIP – Touring ★★★
There are plenty of memorable tunes to match the high production values of Northern Stage’s The Last Ship. However, despite having its heart firmly affixed to its sleeve, the production never quite achieves the emotional resonance it so clearly seeks.
‘This off the wall experience is hard to beat’: THRILLER LIVE – Touring ★★★★
The undeniable talent of the controversial Michael Jackson is fully on display in Thriller Live, an energetic and thoroughly exciting showcase of his greatest hits.
‘If you have not yet seen it, that should be put right as soon as possible’: WAR HORSE – Touring ★★★★★
The touring production of War Horse at the Festival Theatre is involving, emotional, visually spectacular and every bit as good as you have probably heard.
‘Its own creature & a magnificent one at that’: MISS SAIGON – Touring ★★★★★
It’s safe to say that if you like Les Misérables, also presented by Cameron Mackintosh, you’ll like this too – some of the more familiar songs could probably be slipped into Les Mis, changing only names and dates.
THE NUTCRACKER – Touring ★★★★★
With enough spectacle and showmanship to keep kids big and small spellbound, Scottish Ballet’s revival of Peter Darrel’s Nutcracker at the Festival Theatre and on tour is the perfect Christmas present.
LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL – Touring ★★★★
“OMG You Guys!” The Festival Theatre is awash with pink as the hilarious Legally Blonde arrives in Edinburgh at the end of the first leg of its extensive UK tour.
HEDDA GABLER – Touring ★★★★
Stark and tense, Ivo van Hove’s production of Hedda Gabler for the English National Theatre, is a thoroughly unnerving reading of Ibsen’s great play.
OUT OF THIS WORLD – Touring
In V-TOL’s latest production, Mark Murphy brings the thrill of his Glasgow Commonwealth Games closing ceremony to the stage, immersing the audience in a mix of aerial choreography and projection. However, with theatrical moments crafted purely for their visual effect, the dialogue lacks substance and the plot can feel sluggish.