Emma Jones
Through the Mud
★★★★☆ Emotionally resonant
A musical story of Black liberation, explored through the journeys of two generations of female activists in the United States, Apphia Campbell’s Through the Mud at Summerhall for the whole fringe, co-produced by Stellar Quines and Royal Lyceum Theatre, boldly and beautifully examines revolution.
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.
Sunset Song
★★★☆☆ Well performed
Stage versions of Sunset Song seem to come around every couple of years, perhaps because no-one has managed to come up with the definitive adaptation yet. Dundee Rep’s new version (a co-production with the Lyceum) has great strengths as well as weaknesses.
Lightning Ridge
★★★★☆ Evocative
Lightning Ridge, Catherine Wheels’ adaptation of Pobby and Dingan, Ben Rice’s novella for young people, is a remarkably involved piece of storytelling about imagination, loss and the nature of community.
Stornoway, Quebec
★★★★☆ Wild Gaelic Western
Theatre Gu Leòr’s, Stornoway, Quebec, is a wild Gaelic Western, based loosely around the real figure of Donald Morrison, the Mégantic Outlaw, and set in a failing hotel in Quebec.
Ferguson and Barton
★★★☆☆ Clever and playful
Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s 1950s film noir classic, Vertigo, Ferguson and Barton at the Studio as part of Manipulate, is a clever and playful attempt to reimagine the original through dance and multimedia projection.
Once Upon a Snowstorm
★★★★☆ Gently Engaging
Once Upon a Snowstorm at the Traverse is a gentle, snowy tale based on Richard Johnson’s picture book, adapted and directed by Jo Timmins, that totally engages its target audience of children aged 5 – 8 and their parents.
And
★★★★☆ Bold and brave
And is a bold new autobiographical dance poem, performed and choreographed by Scottish contemporary dance artist Charlotte Mclean as part of the Made in Scotland showcase at Dance Base.
Lament for Sheku Bayoh
★★★★★ Essential
Lament for Sheku Bayoh, the Lyceum’s online co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland and the Edinburgh International Festival, is a work of huge impact on many levels.
Seats Up at the Lyceum
Installation celebrates Scotland’s missing theatre:
The foyer of the Royal Lyceum has become the set of #TakeASeat, with freelance theatre designers creating a tableaux of empty seats to mark the loss of theatre during the Covid pandemic.
