The Artist as Explorer
When I last met Richard Demarco, he was talking about retiring, stepping back from the gesamtkunstwerk which is his life and persona. He said ‘…there were no more five year plans.’ Of course this was a rueful reflection on his unique contribution, not only to to the arts in Edinburgh, but his advocacy of the…
Read MoreOlder Wiser Smarter Meaner
Hilarious, witty and intelligent Jo Caulfield keeps the audience laughing throughout her whole show, with her charismatic sense of humour and priceless stories about friends. This will make you remember all of your friends’ annoying habits and personality traits. The show flows so smoothly, without a moment of hesitation, as Jo never fails to make…
Read More(More) Moira Monologues
Ye dinnae huv to be fae Fawkirk to pish your pants at this yin. If you don’t get that sentence, you could struggle with the dialect in this show. But not much. It’s Lowland Scots, Falkirkus Hallglenia Vulgaris variety. But there were Canadians in the audience who, although they admitted it took them a while…
Read MoreLocker Room Talk
[This is a #TwoReviews™ Review – Two different reviews of the same performance] #TwoReviews is a literary creation owned by EdinburghFestival.org Locker Room Talk by Catherine Carnie Locker Room Talk by James O’Brien The slimy, self satisfied and sexually soaked voice of our current President of the Free World – which booms at the beginning…
Read MoreMy Audience reviewed by Jo Caulfield
This is a review of the audience watching Jo Caulfield’s performance by Jo Caulfield. First impressions are very important in comedy. The accepted wisdom being, the audience have 2 minutes before the comedian makes up their mind about them. With that in mind, this audience lost me in the first 30 seconds. Does no-one dress…
Read MoreThe Darling Monologues
You’re not likely to meet three much more different women in 50 minutes than Lily, Sadie and Ruby, but all are revealed in acute detail and vivid characterisation by Angela Jackson, until now better known as a writer than an actress. The main character of the Darling Monologues is male – Mark Darling. The clever…
Read MoreGlory on Earth
[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text] A vibrant, youthful and feisty Mary Stuart duels verbally with a dark, dour and determined John Knox. But when you suddenly realise that the harp playing on stage is actually rendering Party Fears Two, an ’80s Associates song, you realise that this play is here to remind us that history can still…
Read MoreHay Fever
Noel Coward was, and still is known for his fast wit, and for snappy dialogue in his writing, and Hay Fever is one of his most enduring works. But it’s difficult to follow a conversation when the dialogue is too fast. Unfortunately, that’s what’s taking place on stage right from the start. The actors playing…
Read MoreThe Winter’s Tale
If ever you wanted to know just how joyous and vibrant Shakespeare can be, come see this production. But don’t expect the cast to be leaping around in tights and cod-pieces. The shift of costume is to the 21st century, and to a very Scottish place – it also has a shift of language and…
Read MorePicnic at Hanging Rock
There’s a volcanic rumbling beneath this deftly staged production, and the stark minimalism of the set design and staging add to the sense of something dark, primal and unstoppable at work. The story at the heart of Picnic at Hanging Rock centres on the unexplained disappearance of three schoolgirls and one of their teachers on…
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