Archive for August, 2024
The Kelpie, the Loch and the Water of Life
★★★☆☆ Radio fun
Arkle’s The Kelpie, the Loch and the Water of Life is an ideal mid-afternoon diversion for the last week of the Fringe.
In the Round
★★★★☆ Enthralling
In the Round by Yucca Dance at Greenside on George Street for the last week of the Fringe is a captivating exploration of the circles and cycles that shape our lives.
Trial by Jury
★★★★☆ Spritely
Cat-Like Tread presents a spritely rendition of Gilbert & Sullivan’s one-act comic opera, Trial by Jury that entirely fulfils its brief: light, fun, and more than a little ridiculous.
Panto Macbeth
★★★★★ Perfectly absurd
It’s panto. It’s Macbeth. It’s Panto Macbeth. What more do you want? The Mermaids Performing Arts Fund of St. Andrews University hurl a fifty-minute pantomime version of Shakespeare’s tragedy of Macbeth onto the Fringe stage, like a vulgar No-Fear Shakespeare crossed with traditional panto bits.
Amy’s View
★★★☆☆ Slow-moving
The Makars’ production of Amy’s View, at the Royal Scots Club for the Fringe’s last week, is well staged and acted but never really ignites.
Lynn Faces
★★★☆☆ Original
Lynn Faces at Summerhall is the antidote to gig theatre. Laura Horton’s new play, co-commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, Norwich Theatre and Theatre Royal Plymouth, is a portrait of toxic relationships and real friendship with (intentionally) appalling music.
Covenant
★★★★☆ Dystopian
Covenant, written, directed and produced by Turning Point Theatre Company invites the audience to consider the possibility of a dystopian future in which control over women’s bodies is at an all-time high and existing legislation has been taken to an extreme position.
The Devil Went Down to Gorgie
★★★☆☆ Nae fearties
New grassroots company Pasuz Productions play everything just about right for their debut production, The Devil Went Down to Gorgie a piece of comedy horror framed in a dreadful office-workers bonding day, playing the West Port Oracle for the final week of the Fringe.
Well Played
★★★★☆ Snappy
Well Played from Josie Rose Productions is the kind of work you hope to see at the Fringe: new writing performed to a high standard by up and coming artists; needs work, but is getting the opportunity to grind off its rough edges in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
The Court
★★★☆☆ Maybe murder
Edinburgh Little Theatre’s interactive court-set drama, The Court, finds a middle aged woman accused by her sister of murdering their mother and is run on the Lunchtime Theatre principle of adding a pie and bevvy to the ticket price.