Hugh Simpson
Loose Ends
★★★☆☆ Melancholy anger
1TWO1 Productions and New Celts’ Loose Ends – at theSpace on the Mile for the Fringe’s first week only – is a spare and affecting display of vulnerability.
So Young
★★★★☆ Pointed
So Young by Douglas Maxwell, the Traverse co-production with Raw Material and the Citizens, is a sharply observed, profound and beautifully acted piece of theatre.
Cyrano
★★★★☆ Sparkling
The European premiere of Roast Productions’ Cyrano at the Traverse is an irreverent, intelligent and funny gender-flipped version of Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac.
The Sound Inside
★★★☆☆ Wordy
The Sound Inside by Adam Rapp, from Cusack Projects Ltd and Half Moon Street Ltd in association with Traverse Theatre Company, comes from America garlanded with praise. While much of that praise is justified, it is also a production that exasperates as much as it impresses.
An Unexpected Hiccup
★★★★☆ Joyous
An Unexpected Hiccup, Lung Ha and Plutôt La Vie’s production, which was first staged under COVID conditions, has been revived to herald the new Lung Ha touring company. And what a welcome revival it is.
My English Persian Kitchen
★★★★☆ Fulfilling
Soho Theatre and the Traverse’s My English Persian Kitchen may deal with some potentially difficult issues but is ultimately a celebration – of life, of community and of the possibilities of theatre.
Batshit
★★★☆☆ Theatrical
Batshit by Leah Shelton and Quiet Riot, at the Traverse all Fringe, is a forceful, politically necessary and knowing piece of theatre.
A History of Paper
★★★★★ Heartbreaking
A History of Paper at the Traverse is a production of rare emotional weight, whose overall impact is out of all proportion to its comparatively small scale.
This Is Our Story
★★★★☆ Glorious fun
This Is Our Story, the latest offering from Two Halves Productions at Tynecastle, is a hugely entertaining romp that is simply unmissable for any Hearts supporter.
