Listings: November 2-8
Listings for week ending Sunday 8 November
All the details you need to know about what’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week.
Assembly Roxy
2 Roxburgh Place, EH8 9SU
The Bruce in Ireland (Monday 2 – Thursday 5. Daily: 8pm)
Flushed with victory after Bannockburn, the Bruces seek to carry on the war against the English; ambition as much as military necessity draws the armies of Scotland to Ireland. But is this liberation or conquest?
New writing from Edinburgh playwright Ben Blow with a fictionalised account of the Bruce’s ill-starred Irish intervention.
Æ Preview: After Bannockburn
Gerry Kielty as Edward Bruce in The Bruce in Ireland. Photo Zoe Atherfold
The Brunton
Ladywell Way, Musselburgh EH21 6AA. Phone booking: 0131 665 2240
Somethings Old, Somethings New (Thursday 5: 7.30pm)
From the bittersweet to the rude and raunchy, Scotland’s Makar Liz Lochhead weaves a spellbinding and beguiling show, mixing poems, monologues and music.
Accompanied by the soulful sax of Steve Kettley she presents an intoxicating mix of some of her best work over the past 45years.
The Box (Friday 6: 7.30pm)
Join theatre-maker Alice Mary Cooper as she playfully examines the contents of a time capsule, and explores this extraordinary last post from the First World War.
In 1921 a group of postal workers in Dundee created a unique time capsule as a memorial to those who had died in The Great War. This casket, crammed with papers, lay forgotten for many years on a shelf in a sorting office. It was rediscovered in 2013 by a woman tracing her family’s history and was opened on the hundredth anniversary of the start of the war. This is the story of what was found inside.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000
Carmen (Tuesday 3, Friday 6, Thursday 12, Saturday 14: 7.15pm; Matinees: Sunday 8: 4pm)
In the sultry heat of Seville, passions are high and drama is around every corner – and a hot-blooded tale of seduction and obsession is about to unfold.
When Don José, a young soldier, meets the sensual and high-spirited Carmen, thoughts of marrying his childhood sweetheart are driven from his mind. But Don José is not the only one to fall for Carmen’s charms, and when she chooses another man, she sets in motion a shocking and unmissable showdown.
Revival of the 1999 co-production with Welsh National Opera.
Justina Gringyte in Scottish Opera’s Carmen at the Festival Theatre. Photo James Glossop
King’s Theatre
2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000
Handbagged (Monday 2-Saturday 7: 7.30pm; matinees Wed and Sat: 2.30pm)
Liz vs. Maggie: Two enduring icons born in the same year. One destined to rule, the other elected to lead. But when the stiff upper lip softened and the gloves came off, which one had the upper hand?
Starring Susie Blake (The Victoria Wood Show, Coronation Street) as The Queen and Kate Fahy (The Suspicions of Mr Whicher) as Thatcher.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848
Tipping the Velvet (Run ends Saturday 14 November. Tue-Sat: 7.30pm; Matinees Weds/Sat: 2pm)
Laura Wade’s adaptation of Sarah Waters’ audacious bestselling novel in a Lyric Hammersmith co-production. It’s 1887 and Nancy Astley sits in the audience at her local music hall: she doesn’t know it yet, but the next act on the bill will change her life. Tonight she will fall in love… with the thrill of the stage and with Kitty Butler; a girl who wears trousers. Giddy with desire and hungry for experience, Nancy follows Kitty to London where unimaginable adventures await.
Read Æ’s review here: Tipping the Velvet review.
Sally Messham and Adele Leonce in Tipping The Velvet Photo. Photo: Johan Persson
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014
Shrek the Musical (Run ends: Sunday 8 November)
Tue-Sat 7pm; Sun: 1pm & 5pm
Matinees: Sat: 2pm.
Based on the award-winning DreamWorks animation film. Join our unlikely hero and his loyal steed Donkey as they embark on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona from a fire breathing, love-sick dragon. Featuring all new songs as well as cult Shrek anthem I’m a Believer. Recommended for ages 5+
See Æ’s review: Shrek The Musical Tour Review
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404
Chrysalis Festival (Friday 6/Saturday 7)
The first ever Chrysalis festival showcases ambitious and provocative work by emerging young talent from across the UK and features the following four productions:
i’d rather humble than hero: Junction 25 (Glasgow)
Headz: 20 Stories High (Liverpool)
Southside Stories: Citizens Theatre Young Co. (Glasgow)
Under The Covers: Contact Young Company (Manchester)
The festival includes an accompanying programme of free panel discussions which aim to explore the position of youth theatre in a wider context.
*NB: This is intended to be a complete listing of all public theatrical productions on in Edinburgh. If you are staging a show which is not listed, or a listing is inaccurate, please use the contact form here to get in touch.
