Listings: Mon 4 – Sun 10 December 2023
What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week?
Good question! Glad you asked – the answer is much and various as the full range of Christmas shows opens, while there are a handful of most excellent local amateur shows to look out for.
There’s even a bit of politics, as Mark Thomas returns to the Traverse outside the Fringe with England and Son (Tue – Sat, tickets), and some soaring musical theatre as the new tour of Wicked tour opens with a five week run at the Playhouse (Thurs – Sat 14 Jan ’24, tickets).
Unicorn Christmas Party opens the Studio on Friday.
First up, this week’s local amateur pantomimes see Balerno Theatre Company up at the Church Hill with Alice in Pantoland (Wed – Sat, details) and the Cramond Drama Group with Cramond Island at the Cramond Kirk Halls (Sat, details). Sadly for those without a ticket, both shows are already sell-outs, but it is great to see such enthusiasm for local shows and also a new group on the block out at Cramond.
In other local amateur news, Strawmoddie Theatre is staging Steve Briggs’ adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather at the Pleasance (Fri – Sun, tickets). It’s on for five performances only, with some already sold out, so if you are a Pratchett fan, then get booking as quickly as you can for what is likely to be a hilarious Christmas parody, as the Hogfather fails to turn up and DEATH has to take his place…
The big new professional show opening this week is Cinderella at the Portobello Town Hall (Fri 8 – Sat 30, tickets). This is quite a momentous occasion, as the first big outing for Stage Door Entertainment, Tommie Travers and Aidan O’Brien’s new company, as well as the first professional Porty Panto for many years.
The show is written and directed by recent QMU graduate Lewis Baird, with local brothers Harrison and Leo MacNeill as the Uglies, Wonky and Stonke. The MacNeils had great notices in their 2022 EdFringe show and panto parody, On the Run: Dame Over!.
Unicorn Christmas Party
For the littler audience members, Æ favourites Macastory return to the Storytelling Centre with their Hansel and Gretel (Sat 9/Sun 10, tickets), while the Studio will be home to a Unicorn Christmas Party (Fri 8 – Sun 24, tickets), where glittering, magical unicorns Melody and Luna bring a little winter sunshine, moonlight, good times, and a lot of boogie to the stage.
Adults have a childish bent, too, so the Three Sisters is staging a bootilicious drag adult panto in Sleeping Booty (Wed 6 – Sat 23, tickets). This promises sparkling decor and costumes, an utterly filthy script and all your favourite cheesy anthems, fun, frolics, laughter and audience participation.
Of course the local biggies are already up and running and have both been given four star reviews from us…
Mornal Young’s “★★★★☆ Epic” The Snow Queen at the Lyceum (run ends Sun 31, tickets) provides thrills, humour and imaginative theatricality with its epic combination of heroic adventures and spirited nonsense.
The “★★★★☆ Highflying“ King’s Panto is at the Festival Theatre, with Grant Stott, Allan Stewart and Jordan Young doing their very best in The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan (run ends Sun 31, tickets). It’s one of the great local pantomimes around this year, with Edinburgh threaded right through it, thanks to a magnificent turn from Stott as Captain Hook.
And finally, the Traverse has the preview weekend of its new show, and escape from wall-to-wall Christmas extravagance, Same Team – A Street Soccer Story (Fri 8 – Sat 23, tickets).
Listings
Church Hill Theatre
33 Morningside Road, EH10 4DR.
Alice in Pantoland (Balerno Theatre Company)
Wed 6 – Sat 9 Dec 2023.
Evenings: 7.30pm; Fr/Sat mats: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Cramond Kirk Halls
16 Cramond Glebe Rd, Cramond, EH4 6NS.
Cramond Island (Cramond Drama Group)
Sat 9 Dec 2023.
Two shows: 2pm and 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
The Pantomime Adventures of Peter Pan
Sat 25 Nov – Sun 31 Dec 2023
Tue – Sat: 2pm & 7 pm. Sun: 1pm & 5pm.
No mats: Dec 5, 6, 7, 13. No evening perf: Dec 14.
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Highflying
Tickets and details: Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
The Snow Queen
Thurs 23 Nov to Sun 31 Dec 2023
Tue – Sat: 7pm; Mats Sat: 2pm; Sun: 1pm & 6pm.
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Epic
Tickets and details: Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA
Wicked
Thurs 7 Dec 2023 – Sat 14 Jan 2024
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Wed, Thurs, Sat, Sun: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Pleasance Theatre
60 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ.
Terry Pratchet’s Hogfather(Strawmoddie Theatre)
Fri 8 – Sun 10 Dec 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat & Sun mats: 3pm.
Tickets and details: Book Here.
Portobello Town Hall
147-149 Portobello High St, Portobello EH15 1AF.
Cinderella (Stage Door Entertainment)
Fri 8 – Sat 30 Dec 2023
All Fri: 7pm; All Sat & Thurs 28/Fri 29: 2pm & 7pm. Wed 20 – Fri 22: 1pm & 7pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1SR.
Hansel and Gretel (Macastory)
Sat 9/Sun 10 Dec 2023.
Two shows daily: 11am & 2pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Studio Theatre
The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Unicorn Christmas Party
Fri 8 – Sun 24 Dec 2023
Wed – Sun: 10.30am (not Fri 8, Sat 9) & 1.30pm. 6pm: Fri 8 & Sat 9 only.
Tickets and details: Book here.
The Three Sisters
139 Cowgate, EH1 1JS.
Sleeping Booty
Wed 6 – Sat 23 Dec 2023
Wed – Sat: 9pm; Sun: 3pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404
Mark Thomas in England and Son
Tue 5 – Sat 9 Dec 2023.
Evenings: 7.30pm. (Traverse 2).
Written by Ed Edwards
Tickets and details: Book here.
Same Team – A Street Soccer Story
Friday 8 – Saturday 23 December 2023
Previews Fri 8/Sat 9: 7.30pm.
Tue – Sat (not Sat 23): 7.30pm;
Mats: Sats 16 & 23, Wed 20, Fri 22: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh, the Caledonian
Princes Street, EH1 2AB.
Edinburgh Magic
Sats 9, 16 & Weds 20 Dec 2023
Saturday evenings: 6pm & 8.30pm (Versailles Suite)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Rosy
Tickets and details: Book here.
ENDS
