Posts by David Petherick
Nixon in China
This is a mesmerising, gorgeous looking and amazing sounding production that represents a stunning Trump era re-take on what was a classic and innovative original production in 1987. The dazzling, seamless, silent set shifts and amazing back projection and set design combine with a brilliant sound system. There is an added element with the sets…
Read MorePride and Prejudice* (*sort of)
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) This is a stunning, joyous, rapture to watch. It is a total riot of fun from start to finish. Jan Austen’s iconic and timeless classic is given a funny, feminist reboot, with a cast of six sassy young women on stage, playing each and every role, female and male, with…
Read MoreAn Edinburgh Christmas Carol
Scrooge in Edinburgh is at the heart of this delightful Christmas story, with Greyfriars Bobby meeting Tiny Tim in a perfectly pitched seasonal romp. This production is of course designed to be enjoyed by children, and judging from the hearty chuckles and giggles issuing from the stalls throughout, it certainly hit its mark. At one…
Read MoreBarber Shop Chronicles
This is a production full of energy, passion and joy set to a riotously enjoyable soundtrack. I strongly advise getting to the show early, as you’ll find cast members roaming around the auditorium greeting and shaking hands with everyone. You get to hang out with the cast while the DJ spins up a series of…
Read MoreTosca
This is a glorious, uplifting and gorgeously staged reminder of the immense power and passion of Puccini’s musical storytelling. Anthony Besch’s landmark 1980 production of Tosca forms the core of this revival directed by Jonathan Cocker, with the action transposed from 1800 to 1940s Italy under Mussolini’s fascists. There is good reason for the longevity…
Read MoreThe Panopticon
A stunning central performance, superb casting and a striking, minimalist set combine to make this seminal 2012 novel come alive on stage. This is powerful, visceral, and shocking. Anais Hendricks (Anna Russel-Martin) is a 15-year-old girl who has been locked in to the ‘care system’ since birth, and has now been transferred to the Panopticon,…
Read MoreSolaris
This is the first time that Solaris has been brought to the stage, and David Greig’s treatment based on the novel by Stanisław Lem is stunning, fresh and resonant. Science fiction allows for rules to be broken and conventions to be usurped, and this production certainly defies the norm, and any expectations you may bring…
Read MoreAngus Macfadyen is Robert the Bruce: Exclusive Interview on Location
WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Angus Macfadyen talks to David Petherick of EdinburghFestival.org about his role in the forthcoming film ‘Robert The Bruce’. Originally playing the role of Robert The Bruce in 1995’s Braveheart, Angus talks on location in Scotland about the long journey towards making this movie, the snows of Montana, a conversation with a spider…
Read MoreRobert the Bruce
This is not the story of a man who has been defeated in war coming back with a sword in his hand. This is the story of a family broken apart by war coming together with love in its heart. This beautifully woven piece of cinema is captured with ravishing photography by John Garret, and…
Read MoreThe Duchess [of Malfi]
This finely-staged drama is a visceral exploration of male violence and oppression, at once gripping, terrifying and mesmerising. A purposely nervous but soulful song starts the action in a stark, stripped back setting, and Kirsty Stuart quietly asserts both her power and her fragility from the start. Based on John Webster’s Jacobean revenge tragedy, The…
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