Written by Mark McDonnell Directed by Suzi Budd Review by Dominic Corr Oor Wee Mammy McGoose ★★★★★ There are pantos that lumber and pantos that sparkle; then there’s Oor Wee Mammy McGoose, which arrives like a tartan comet and leaves the auditorium ringing with laughter. This is not a show that borrows spectacle to hide … Continue reading Review: Oor Wee Mammy McGoose – King’s Theatre, Kirkcaldy
Review by Hunter King ★★★ Fringe alumni David Alnwick has returned to Edinburgh this holiday season to mix his signature spooky vibes with a story that was originally written by one of the most iconic holiday storytellers of all time: Charles Dickens. Admittedly, I was excited to once again venture deep into the bowels of … Continue reading Review: David Alnwick presents Charles Dickens’ The Signal-Man – Krampus Fest at The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh
Written by Jack Nurse and Robbie Gordon Directed by Bruce Strachan Review by Dominic Corr The Wizard of Oz ★★★ A glitter-splattered, good‑natured panto that shines brightest when it stops trying so hard; the Brunton’s annual festive juggernaut rolls into its makeshift Musselburgh home at the Loretto High School with The Wizard of Oz, a … Continue reading Review: The Wizard of Oz – Loretto High School, Musselburgh
Commissioned by Aberdeen Performing Arts, Capital Theatres and Eden Court Highlands Created and Directed by Ross MacKay and Jordan Blackwood Review by Hunter King The Studio ★★★★★ It seems every child grows up with a fictional dog who has an impact on their life. I had Scooby-Doo and Blue from “Blue’s Clues,” and more recently, … Continue reading Review: Snowy – The Studio, Edinburgh
Performed by The Scottish Quartet Review by Dominic Corr Fever: Candlight Tributes ★★★★ A soft‑glow sanctuary for Swifties and sceptics alike. There’s something quietly disarming about stepping into Assembly Roxy under a sea of candlelight. The venue — a former neo‑Gothic church with vaulted ceilings and a hush that settles on the skin — already … Continue reading Review: Candlelight: Tribute to Taylor Swift – Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
Written by Fraser Boyle Directed By Tom Cooper Review by Dominic Corr The Gaeity ★★★★ A warm, hyper-local panto with charm to spare — and a few bumps in the magic carpet, Ayr’s Gaiety has carved out a reputation for homegrown pantos with a distinctly Ayrshire flavour, and Aladdie, written by Fraser Boyle and directed by … Continue reading Review: Aladdie – The Gaiety Theatre, Ayr
Written by Harry Michaels and Allan Stewart With Additional Material by Matt Slack, Grant Stott, and Jordan Young Directed by Ed Curtis Review by Dominic Corr The Festival Theatre ★★★★ Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre has become the temporary kingdom of festive excess while the King’s finishes its extended nap, and Jack and the Beanstalk arrives with all the … Continue reading Review: Jack and the Beanstalk – The Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Written by Alan McHugh Directed by Tony Cownie Review by Dominic Corr Beacon Arts ★★★★ Sharp as a spindle, warm as a mince pie, and just the right amount of daft. There’s a particular kind of Inverclyde alchemy that happens when the Beacon Arts Centre rolls out its annual panto: the familiar faces return, the audience settles … Continue reading Review: Sleeping Beauty – The Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock
written by Callum Latham, David Hewitson and Steven Brackenridge Review by Libbi Hutton Theatre 118 ★★★★ Jack and the Privately Owned Beanstalk by Theatre 118 is everything a panto should be: wildly entertaining, fast-paced, ridiculous, outrageous, and most crucially ‘theatre for the people’. Advertised as ‘a pantomime for the rest of us’, this rendition of … Continue reading Review: Jack and the Privately Owned Beanstalk- Theatre 118, Glasgow
Music by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus Book by Catherine Johnson Directed by Phyllida Lloyd Review by Dominic Corr Edinburgh Playhouse ★★★★ ABBA, abs, and absolute chaos — but sung with the precision of a Swiss watch: there’s a particular kind of madness that descends upon the Edinburgh Playhouse whenever Mamma Mia! rolls into town. … Continue reading Review: Mamma Mia – Edinburgh Playhouse
