General
The hour we knew nothing of each other
This was almost absurd in its ambition: nearly 100 members of the Edinburgh public play almost 500 parts, with dazzling costumes, and often bizarre props, and for 90 minutes, nobody speaks a word. It was a dadaesque town square with a succession of movements in and out and a variety of characters from the everyday…
Read MoreCreditors
I really wanted an interval. And I was not alone: one audience member, at the end of the first act, when the stage went dark, started to clap hesitantly before realising that they were all alone, and the lights went up again on stage. An hour and fifty minutes is not an eternity to sit…
Read MoreEugene Onegin
Eugene Onegin towers over the Russian literature of the 19th century, and Tchaikovsky’s decision to create an opera based on a text which is still widely read (and regularly re-read) by Russians today was highly audacious. It is a sign of Tchaikovsky’s brilliance that the Opera, rather than the novel in verse it was based…
Read MoreAriadne auf Naxos
In the mansion of the richest man in Glasgow (no capital sensibilities are pandered to here) preparations are underway for an evening’s entertainment supervised by a formidable party planner. But there’s a slight problem – a new opera has been commissioned, however, there is also a burlesque troupe performing – and the highbrow Opera troupe as just as outraged as Zerbinetta’s burlesque troupe…
Read MoreRhinoceros
[This is a #TwoReviews™ Review – Two different reviews of the same performance] #TwoReviews is a literary creation owned by EdinburghFestival.org Rhinoceros by Catherine Carnie Rhinoceros by James O’Brien For David Greig (Artistic Director of the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh) the morning after the Brexit referendum was a moment of discombobulation – he felt odd … “as odd…
Read MoreScottish Opera’s Bambino returns to Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Scottish Opera’s Bambino returns To Edinburgh Festival Fringe and tours to Paris and around Scotland Following sell-out runs in Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2017, the five star ‘opera for babies’ BambinO is touring to Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year, as well as Paris and five venues around Scotland. Written by Scottish Opera’s former Composer in Residence Lliam Paterson and…
Read MoreMr Blue Sky
Mr Blue Sky is a piece of stunning, vibrant and life-affirming theatre that had me horrified, aching, and laughing, and by the end, I felt like simply getting up and dancing. The raw (and sometimes dark) humour coming from the stage was like a bolt of electricity. Mr Blue Sky. Photograph by Andy Catlin. Image…
Read MoreAngus Macfadyen on the Braveheart Effect and Scottish Independence
UPDATE 02-March-2018 13:14 GMT: At the Production’s request, we’re delaying the release of our exclusive interviews to better time with the film’s distribution. WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Angus Macfadyen talks to David Petherick of EdinburghFestival.org about ‘The Braveheart Effect’ and Scottish Independence Originally playing the role of Robert The Bruce in 1995’s Braveheart, Angus talks on location in…
Read MoreAngus Macfadyen is Robert the Bruce: Exclusive Interview on Set
UPDATE 02-March-2018 13:14 GMT: At the Production’s request, we’re delaying the release of our exclusive interviews to better time with the film’s distribution. 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…
Read MoreThe Belle’s Stratagem
Oh, this is a gem. A pure, brilliant sparkling gem! This is glorious and hugely enjoyable. The Lyceum has restored a toweringly funny and important comedy to the stage, and it is something you must witness. The term ‘restoration comedy’ has been rewritten here to cement the reputation of along-neglected playwright Hannah Cowley and that…
Read More