theSpace @ Surgeons Hall
The Spilling Cup
★★★★☆ Bloody lovely
“Hey, little uterus, can we work together?” Sasha’s plea to her capricious organ in Dracume Theatre’s The Spilling Cup will be a familiar sentiment to anyone who’s ever dealt with having one, and especially to those who, like her, are plagued by undiagnosed medical issues of the reproductive system.
Babe Alien
★★★☆☆ Weirdly fascinating
Mon Espoir’s Babe Alien is a weirdly fascinating story in which an innocent outsider living in Las Vegas, but apparently from another world, takes a critical look at American culture and behaviour.
Malvolio’s Fantasy
★★★☆☆ Tentative
Zuzabella Productions’ Malvolio’s Fantasy at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall is an adaptation of Shakespeare that is at its best when it is furthest from its source.
Brothers
★★★★☆ Heartfelt
Raised Voices’ Brothers, at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall for the last two weeks of the Fringe, has a praiseworthy emotional clarity.
Brief Candle
★★☆☆☆ Fllickering
Brief Candle, from Blushing Caligula at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, is not the first play to take inspiration for its title from Macbeth. Unfortunately, its attempts at tragic grandeur do not match up to such a reference.
Hickory
★★☆☆☆ Enjoyable
Hickory by Deleardley Theatre is an enjoyable tale with a flawed tail, of two mice whose short lives are spent using physical labour to drive the mechanism of a cuckoo clock.
Why Am I Like This?
★★★★☆ Important story
Why Am I Like This? from High Heels and Heavy Suitcases at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall is something of a gem. Beautifully tailored to its audience, space and time slot, it is funny and refreshing.
Sherlock Holmes The Last Act / Watson: The Final Problem
★★★★☆ Mercurial and ★★★★☆ Reliable
Sherlock Holmes The Last Act and Watson: The Final Problem are both clever, beautifully performed pieces of theatre. They both provide novelty, as well as fidelity to the work of Arthur Conan Doyle.
Garage Warriors
★★★★☆ Strong writing debut.
Garage Warriors, Lewis Aitken’s writing debut for Raw Toast Productions at Surgeons Hall, is inspired by Chat GPT but thankfully not written with the aid of it.
The Tragedy That Befalls the Dastardly Crew of the Kakapo
★★★☆☆ Energetic
The Tragedy That Befalls the Dastardly Crew of the Kakapo, from Dead Parrot Collective at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, is an unsubtle, rollicking romp that will give pleasure to many.
