Scotland Archives - Page 10 of 94

A Jaffa Cake Musical – Pleasance Courtyard

21Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

A Jaffa Cake Musical – Pleasance Courtyard

While A Jaffa Cake Musical is by no means the most extravagant musical at the Fringe, you’d be hard-pressed to find a show that fills you with more child-like glee. Based loosely on the 1991 trial in which the nature of a Jaffa cake (not biscuit) was decided, Gigglemug’s new musical is hilarious, surprisingly informative, and filled to the brim with catchy songs. The story mostly follows Kevin, played with giddy optimism by Sam Cochrane, who is the defence lawyer hired by the Jaffa Cake company to prove that Jaffa Cakes are indeed cakes not biscuits. In typical musical fashion, Kevin’s parents are devastated he chose to become a lawyer rather than an actor: ‘Why would you want stability when you could be performing in a musical?’ His rival, Katherine, is the far more accomplished of...

An American Love Letter to Edinburgh – Scottish Storytelling Centre

20Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

An American Love Letter to Edinburgh – Scottish Storytelling Centre

This is a delightful, often hilarious, show beautifully performed by Rick Conte. It will appeal not just to lovers of Edinburgh and history buffs but to anyone who loves a good yarn. Written by Conte and Matt Rudkin, and directed by Andy Cannon, this is the fascinating story of two visits made to Edinburgh in 1759 and 1771 by Benjamin Franklin. ‘Renaissance Man’ Franklin wrote a book on electricity, but is of course most famous as one of the Founding Fathers of the USA. He edited and was one of the signatories of the American Declaration of Independence in 1776. Franklin had initially been sent over from Philadelphia to London to try to persuade the sons of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania, to pay tax. While in London he met several fellow intellectuals including Sir John Pringl...

The Academy Trust: Under New Management – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

20Aug

By Ben PearsonNo Comments

Scotland

The Academy Trust: Under New Management – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall

Mode Theatre’s The Academy Trust: Under New Management is a comedy, written and performed by teachers, that exposes the horrifying realities of modern-day teaching. Taking place over the course of a few days, the show weaves through a series of hilarious yet endlessly relatable scenarios, culminating in the dreaded world book day. The centre of the piece is Rachel, who is internally battling over whether or not to hand in her resignation amidst all the changes at the school. Not only does this make for some great comedic beats, but it wonderfully encapsulates the debate that many teachers are facing. How can anyone continue to teach in an environment that demands so much and provides so little? The three performers, I was sadly unable to find their names, all demonstrated an impr...

20Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Vir Das: The Fool – Pleasance Dome

Vir Das’s The Fool is a masterclass in comedy that brilliantly blends humour with sharp social commentary. As an Emmy Award winner for Best Comedy Series on Netflix, Vir Das sets high expectations—and more than delivers. From the moment he steps on stage, the energy is electric, with the audience erupting in laughter throughout his set. In The Fool, Das tackles topics like racism, religion, and social media, all with his signature wit and humour. One particularly hilarious bit involves him taking his nephew to an art exhibition. The punchline? The child is disappointed because the paintings don’t fit vertically on his phone. Das then launches into a side-splitting riff on how Instagram has made the world vertical, even joking that when he dies, he’ll die vertically so people can tak...

Juggle (An Aussie Guide to Keeping a Toddler Alive) – The Three Sisters

20Aug

By Triona ScullyNo Comments

Scotland

Juggle (An Aussie Guide to Keeping a Toddler Alive) – The Three Sisters

Fresh off her win for Best Comedy at Fringe World Australia, Amy Hetherington brings her high-energy, joyful standup to Edinburgh. Get ready for a side-splitting hour that dives into the chaotic joy, challenges, and hilarity of raising a toddler in Australia’s rugged Northern Territory. From sleepless nights to bizarre parenting tips from strangers, and rediscovering her post-baby sexiness, Hetherington’s stories are both relatable and outrageous. It’s been a while since my boy was a toddler, and I was keen to see a comedic description of this time period. Hetherington’s account is perfect and took me right back to the absolute joy and total bedlam of those preschool years. Raising kids is a universal experience, but doing it Down Under is distinctly unique, and Hetherington dives r...

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

A History of Paper – Traverse Theatre

World Premier Set in a different time, on the eve of the millennium, before the dawn of the paperless office, Oliver Emanuel’s, A History of Paper, started life as a radio drama. Then in 2016, song writer and composer Gareth Williams contacted the playwright to suggest that it might make a ‘good musical’. Tragically, Emanuel passed away from brain cancer in December 2023, aged just 43, so sadly never got to see the finished product. Which is a real shame, because it is a sweet thing. Emma Mullen, and Christopher Jordan-Marshall play journalist and would-be writer as an unnamed couple who sing their relationship into existence. Whilst he is a hoarder of paper memories, she couldn’t care less. He has a boxful of tickets and lists and menus and plane tickets, and a half finish...

Suhani Shah: Spellbound 2.0: Underbelly Bristo Square

20Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Suhani Shah: Spellbound 2.0: Underbelly Bristo Square

Spellbound 2.0: Suhani Shah's Astonishing Mind-Reading Mastery What can I say about this show? Suhani Shah, the world’s most subscribed mentalist, delivers an experience that truly lives up to her reputation. Going into the show, I was sceptical about how anyone could possibly achieve what she does, but by the end, I was utterly convinced and utterly amazed. Spellbound 2.0 is not just a performance; it’s an interactive journey into the seemingly impossible. Suhani’s ability to guess what people are thinking, down to their exact thoughts and even their date of birth, left the audience in awe. The entire show is a testament to her incredible skill in mentalism, blending psychological insight with showmanship. One of the most astonishing aspects of the show was the level of audie...

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Piskie – Summerhall, Edinburgh

One of my favourite posters of this years’ Fringe, and a one word title that hints at something….interesting. Couple this with one of my fav performance spaces, a little hidden gem of a venue, a beautifully proportioned theatre, just ten seats wide with a central aisle, focused but friendly, raking back into the darkness, a surprisingly long way…. And at the business end a very nice performance area, about an acre of black cloth enfolds it and damps voices down to a pleasant whisper, but with plenty of tech if you need amplification. Basically, a black box in which magic can happen. Lights duly killed, lecturer Ouida Bert (Lucy Roslyn) employs the torch under the chin (it always works!) to relate a spooky tale of two male friends, a policeman and a barrister, lost on the moor who ta...

20Aug

By Saira KunjuvalappilNo Comments

Scotland

Best Man – Underbelly Bristo Square

The Best Man, written by Mikey Fleming and Colman Hayes, and directed by Mikey Fleming, is a masterclass in comedic performance. Before attending, I knew little about the show, but it quickly proved to be a delightful surprise. The blend of acting and comedy was spot-on, and Colman Hayes, who performed solo, delivered a hilarious and engaging experience. The premise of the show is simple yet effective: Hayes plays a 30-year-old, single, and somewhat desperate best man, chosen for his best friend John's wedding to Rebecca. Hayes's character is clueless about what to say in his speech, leading to a series of side-splitting anecdotes and observations. His portrayal of a man grappling with the pressure of delivering a perfect best man speech was both relatable and uproarious. One of ...

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

20Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

The Marriage of Figaro – Festival Theatre

At a lengthy 3 and a half hours, performed in Italian with English subtitles, this was, to be honest, a somewhat daunting proposition. More used to one hour long bite-sized Fringe morsels, an opera definitely requires a long-distance mentality rather than a sprint approach. On reflection, Kirill Serebrenbbnikov’s take on Mozart’s comic opera, The Marriage of Figaro, would have been better as a half-marathon. The joy, humour and accessibility of the first act is worth five stars, but what follows is, frankly, incomprehensible, confused and humourless that seemingly almost forgets that there is an audience, drenching itself in opulence and superficial appearance to the point of self-destruction. The weirdly lavish mirrored art and the butchery of most of the cast in the second act is like...