Author: Hugh Simpson
War Horse
★★★★★ Magnificent:
The National Theatre’s touring production of War Horse at the Festival Theatre is involving, emotional, visually spectacular and every bit as good as you have probably heard.
PPP: Margaret Saves Scotland
★★☆☆☆ Sugary:
Margaret Saves Scotland, the latest offering in the Play, A Pie and A Pint season, marks the return of Val McDermid to the stage. Anyone expecting a taut and bloody crime thriller, however, should be warned that this is a low-key piece, wistful and almost wilfully slight.
PPP: McGonagall’s Chronicles
★★★★☆ Cheerful complexity:
Gary McNair’s McGonagall’s Chronicles, the first in the new series of A Play, A Pie and a Pint at the Traverse, is a winningly daffy confection. While it may not treat its subject entirely fairly, it does at least show him unusual sympathy.
Ten Times Table
★★★★☆ Accomplished:
Ten Times Table, Edinburgh People’s Theatre’s first production of their 75th anniversary year, displays commendable skill and attention to detail in a production that is both funny and involving.
The Case of the Frightened Lady
★★☆☆☆ Static:
Reliable performances by a host of crowd-pleasing big TV names cannot quite redeem the disappointing script of The Case of the Frightened Lady.
Travels With My Aunt
★★★★☆ Inventive:
There is a beautiful comic rhythm to Arkle’s Travels With My Aunt at the Assembly Roxy, coupled with an almost boundless invention in its staging, that is very pleasing indeed.
Footloose
★★★☆☆ Nostalgic:
There are some decidedly impressive production numbers in the Bohemians’ production of Footloose at the King’s. Add in some excellent singing and you have a show that will please a lot of people with fond memories of the 1980s.
How to Act
★★★★☆ Multi-faceted:
How to Act, the National Theatre of Scotland’s acclaimed production, is intriguingly named. There are shades of meaning behind that phrase, dealing with the expectations of society as well as the actor’s craft – coupled with a hint of know-it-all prescription.
Bingo!
★★★☆☆ Energetic:
A musical about women at the bingo would seem a natural for a warm-hearted, reassuringly couthy comedy. Instead, Bingo! ends up as a much swearier, somewhat darker affair that provides entertainment but is let down by its structure.
Hello, Dolly!
★★★★☆ Frothy:
Southern Light Opera’s production of Hello, Dolly! at the King’s combines showbiz pizzazz with real emotion to great effect.
