Archive for August, 2023
Crash and Burn
★★★☆☆ Intermittent fire
There is an energy and compulsion to the opening of Crash and Burn, from Visceral Theatre at theSpace on Niddry St, that is subsequently dissipated, but the overall effect is still very interesting.
Tickbox 2
★★★☆☆ Quietly assertive
Lubna Kerr’s Tickbox 2 at the Pleasance Courtyard may not be an entirely new play, but still has a great deal to say to everyone.
The Curious Case of Osgood Mackenzie
★★★☆☆ Unusual staging
The Curious Case of Osgood Mackenzie, from Arkle at the Royal Scots Club, is a well researched slice of Scottish history, presented in a way that has genuine novelty.
Hickory
★★☆☆☆ Enjoyable
Hickory by Deleardley Theatre is an enjoyable tale with a flawed tail, of two mice whose short lives are spent using physical labour to drive the mechanism of a cuckoo clock.
Varmints
★★★☆☆ Ambitious
In Varmints, Punch Monkey Theatre follow up the success of their 2022 Fringe debut with a new play by writer and director Ben Ramsay which again delves into movie pastiches for much of its humour.
Ordinary Days
★★★☆☆ Big music
Edinburgh Little Theatre’s Ordinary Days at Hill Street is a well performed and tuneful production.
Dimanche (EIF)
★★★★☆ Hugely inventive
Dimanche at the Church Hill is a magically inventive display. The International Festival production is a collaboration between two Belgian companies – Focus, who use puppets and miniature objects and Chaliwaté, a physical theatre troupe. Both of these approaches are in evidence in a constantly engaging spectacle.