Written by Nathan Scott-Dunn Directed by Nathan Scott-Dunn and Sands Stirling ★★★★ Jolly. Cuddly. Big boned. Husky. Beefy. Plump. Chubby. Fat. Human. At the butt of the gag, there’s a pervading bitterness that being ‘fat’ is one of the last realms of jokes where it’s okay to take a jab at someone, especially in the … Continue reading MANikin – Leith Arches
Produced by Voloz CollectiveReview by Marina Funcasta ★★★★★ It is rare that a performance is able to simultaneously entertain and impress its audience: transporting us into a realm bound by history, and more particularly, aesthetic feel, is a complicated feat. It is even rarer that a performance is able to do this with the aid … Continue reading The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much – Pleasance Courtyard: Forth
Text by Bertolt Brecht in collaboration with Elisabeth HauptmanMusic by Kurt WeillDirected by Barrie Kosky Musical Direction by Adam Benzwi ★★★★★ Premiering in 1928, choke-holding the genre into a new way of looking, The Threepenny Opera still possesses that overnight sensational approach it had all those decades ago. Berlocj Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann’s operatic still, in ways, is a game … Continue reading The Threepenny Opera – Festival Theatre
Created and Performed by Britt Plummer Review by Marina Funcasta ★★★ Premised on the dream of realising a clown wedding, Britt Plummer’s ‘Fool’s Paradise’ can be called anything but unoriginal; her methods of story-telling, be it in narrative style, involvement of the audience, or the use of (many) props (which prove multi-purposeful), is more imaginative than … Continue reading Fools Paradise – Summerhall: Old Lab
Based on MR James' Story Directed by Adam Lenson ★★★★★ Death is just around the corner for those who fall foul of Mr Karswell and his peculiar book. One such man, John Harrington, falls to his death from a tree in the middle of the night, but no one thinks anything suspicious of this. That … Continue reading Casting the Runes – Pleasance Courtyard: Above
Written and Performed by Adam Lenson Directed by Hannah Moss ★★★★ The branching paths of "what if" can become an all-encompassing pitfall. The idea that with every big decision comes an alternate reality in which we said the other option, one where we took the promotion or said yes to that potential partner isn’t new, but Adam … Continue reading Anything That We Wanted to Be – Summerhall: Cairns Lecture Theatre
Written by David Lest Review by Marina Funcasta ★★★★ A portrait, be it in the form of a painting, photograph, or engraving, is usually expected to accurately depict its subject in terms of physical likeness; originating in the Old French verb ‘portraire’, meaning a rendering of, would seem to suggest that a surface-level impression does … Continue reading A Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone – French Institue in Scotland
Created and Performed by Stuart Kenny, Grant Robertson and Lewis Gillies ★★★★ Let’s just get it out of the way: what a bloody beautiful show. Over the rolling hills of heather, traversing the rough and rugged terrain of the landscape, Scotland’s wilderness is an envy of the world: perhaps some of us need reminding of … Continue reading Bear With Me: A Polar Bear in Scotland – Scottish Storytelling Centre
https://youtu.be/7SRpD2o2hRo Created by Simeon Morris ★★★★ A single thread on a dress makes not the garment, but every one of them together forms something marvellous. That is Square Peg – a show made from some of its parts; staging, the spoken word, the physicality, and openness all come together to form something remarkably intimate and forthcoming. It … Continue reading Square Peg – Paradise in Augustines
Produced by Ontroerend Goed ★★★★ Any with even the most passing of experiences with Belgian producers Ontroerend Goed will have one shared thought as they enter Funeral – that they have no idea what the legendary group have up their sleeves, and this is likely to be a rather intense show. And they’d be correct. Excelling with … Continue reading Funeral – Zoo Southside
