Archive for August, 2022
Broken Funnies
★★★☆☆ Worrying
Broken Funnies, from Martin Bearne at Greenside @ Riddles Court, is a deeply personal show whose painful message is obscured by its structure.
Whispers
★★★☆☆ Spooky
Whispers, the solo show by bilingual performer Pat Zajac at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall for the last week of the Fringe, is an evocative piece that sometimes struggles to be fully coherent.
The Man Who Planted Trees
★★★★★ Simply beautiful
The Puppet State Theatre production of The Man Who Planted Trees at the Scottish Storytelling Centre is a show for everyone – and one that has never been more relevant.
Tickbox
★★★★☆ Personal story
Lubna Kerr’s parents arrived in Glasgow from Pakistan in the 1960s and Tickbox, at Summerhall for the final two weeks of the fringe, tells their and her stories.
Barefoot in the Park
★★★☆☆ Diligent
The Edinburgh Makars return to the Hepburn Suite at the Royal Scots Club with Barefoot in the Park. Their production of Neil Simon’s comedy is solid and well crafted, but real comic punch comes inconsistently.
Cheeky Girls
★★★★☆ Unbounded promise
The Counterminers’ Cheeky Girls, at theSpace @ Niddry St for the Fringe’s final week, is a comic drama of almost unlimited potential.
Water Fruit Loops
★★★☆☆ Engaging
Theatre Paradok’s Water Fruit Loops, at theSpace @ Niddry Street for the final week of the fringe, goes over well-trodden ground in a likeable manner.
Floodgate
★★★★☆ Surprising
Theatre Paradok’s Floodgate, at theSpace @ Niddry Street for the last week of the Fringe, is a confrontationally challenging examination of the possible effects of climate change.
Book Festival Round-up
Theatre-interests at the Edinburgh International Book Festival
Although the main draw at the Book Festival for theatregoers is undoubtedly the magnetic This Is Memorial Device, there are also always plenty of other performances of interest.
1902
★★★★☆ Explosive yet poignant
1902 by Saltire Sky is as slick and strong as ever as it returns home to Edinburgh for its fifth – and final – fringe with a full run at the Leith Arches.
