Scotland Archives - Page 5 of 140

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

For Dolores – Traverse Theatre

Two larger-than-life women. One very small lift. Sparks are inevitably going to fly. Eva O’Connor’s For Dolores throws Réaltín, a little Irish star with an inexhaustible capacity for storytelling, together with Mo, a gloriously forthright Glaswegian, in a broken-down lift. What follows is surely one of the great encounters of this year’s Fringe. Lara McDonnell as Réaltín and Catriona Faint as Mo make a classic double act, and an unusually refreshing all-female one. Réaltín embellishes and romanticises, Mo punctures and corrects. When Réaltín recalls romantically “coming off the boat” from Ireland, Mo reminds her that she actually got off a £19.99 Ryanair flight. That rhythm drives the play. A joke becomes an insult, an insult becomes affection, and affection occasionally revea...

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Water Colour – Traverse Theatre

There is something very frustrating about a play centred on a painter that never quite convinces you that its protagonist actually paints. Written by Milly Sweeney and directed by Sally Reid, Water Colour arrives in Edinburgh with considerable acclaim and an impressive collection of awards behind it, which makes my reaction to it all the more surprising. I found the writing naive, the storytelling resolutely linear and the theatrical world surrounding its central character’s art strangely unconvincing. The structure is very much: this happened, then this happened, then this happened. Events accumulate but rarely seem to deepen. Molly Geddes as Esme, the young artist at the centre of the story, and Ryan J Mackay as Harris give perfectly reasonable performances, but the writing rarely ...

8Aug

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Supposing – Traverse Theatre

Supposing you fell down a hole. Supposing, shortly afterwards, you began hearing voices, seventeen of them in fact, a kind of Greek chorus taking up residence inside your head. And supposing you became convinced that falling down that hole had somehow allowed you to see into the future. Written and directed by Zinnie Harris, Supposing takes this curious premise and turns it into a clever, funny and increasingly unsettling examination of reality, marriage and what happens when nobody believes what you believe to be true. At its centre is Nicole Cooper as Sally, married for fifteen years to Richard, played by Richard Conlon. Cooper establishes an immediate connection with the audience, helped enormously by one of Harris's simplest and most effective theatrical devices. On Alisa ...

Alice Fraser: Oh Man! – Monkey Barrel Comedy

8Aug

By Ella BeckleyNo Comments

Scotland

Alice Fraser: Oh Man! – Monkey Barrel Comedy

When she’s off the comedy stage, Alice Fraser is a politics and news podcaster, which she jokes puts her in a small demographic of women that can speak to men without interruption. Her show pulls from topical issues like AI, the manosphere, capitalism, technology, gender and sexuality. Fraser pulls these themes together succinctly, conveying her worldview with persuasive intellect, but it all feels a little too ambitious to contain within a one-hour Fringe comedy set. Fraser’s stand-up show centres around training a little AI vacuum cleaner how to be a man, with PowerPoint slides and crowd work used cleverly along the way. Fraser discusses how masculinity presents itself, moving through themes of today while exposing men in her life like gym-bro Jaden. ...

Disenchanted! The Hit Musical – Pleasance at EICC

8Aug

By Torya HughesNo Comments

Scotland

Disenchanted! The Hit Musical – Pleasance at EICC

The phrase “Disney princess” immediately brings to mind some well-known stereotypes: breathy voices, ultra feminine demeanour, and a desire to live happily ever after with a handsome prince. The cast of “Disenchanted!” manage to debunk all of this in their opening number, led by a punky Snow White who is not inclined to be anyone’s fairytale bride. “Disenchanted!” began over a decade ago as an off-Broadway production but only premiered earlier this year in the UK. Times have changed in recent years, and female characters in children’s films are much better represented overall. However, the original princesses are so well known that this parody still works effectively. What doesn’t always work is the structure of the musical – effectively a song cycle with a mixture of solos and grou...

Chris Forbes: Father Christmas – Monkey Barrel Comedy at Monkey Barrel 2

7Aug

By Ross MackieNo Comments

Scotland

Chris Forbes: Father Christmas – Monkey Barrel Comedy at Monkey Barrel 2

Was I surprised at the festive atmosphere inside the room at Monkey Barrel? A bit, with its dual screens with roaring log fires on both. Creating a feel of being inside an Alpine lodge and not a darkened room in Edinburgh. Especially when outside was a cloudy, grey afternoon, albeit tepid for August. And then entered Chris Forbes in full winter technical gear wishing us a Merry Christmas. The audience’ minds were screaming no; this is not right but were quickly lulled into that warm fuzzy space that is Christmas. As Chris was shedding a layer of blizzard proof garments we heartly sang Jingle Bells with all our might and the atmosphere was that of Christmas eve. Was I disappointed it was Christmas? Absolutely not, what followed was a soulful journey through the yuletide period ...

Pirates: You Wouldn’t Steal a Boat – Gilded Balloon Patter House

7Aug

By Ross MackieNo Comments

Scotland

Pirates: You Wouldn’t Steal a Boat – Gilded Balloon Patter House

Pirates: You Wouldn't Steal a Boat is a fast-paced comedy that embraces piracy on the high seas from the start and never comes in to port. A production from Spruce Moose Comedy, the show takes audiences on an “action-packed” pirate adventure. There is “nautical nonsense” galore. The journey is filled with treasure hunts, intriguing characters, and a Caribbean storm full of pirate genre. While the story itself is well trodden, a betrayed pirate setting out to reclaim treasure from his former captain, the production takes this repetition and turns it into something unique and magical. The story follows Sharkbait Mulligan and his loyal intern Louie after they are betrayed by the double-crossing Captain Codpiece. Sharkbait and Louie set out beat their former captain to the valuabl...

Sara Pascoe: For One Night Only – Underbelly Bristo Square

6Aug

By Ella BeckleyNo Comments

Scotland

Sara Pascoe: For One Night Only – Underbelly Bristo Square

Award winning Actor, Comedian and Writer Sara Pascoe graced the stage of Edinburgh University’s McEwan Hall with her sell-out show for, that’s right, one night only. It’s the first night of Fringe 2026 and there’s a hum of excitement bouncing around Bristo Square, where an anticipating queue snakes around the iconic McEwan Hall, ready to have a laugh. Pints in hand, jackets clutched closely as the sharp Edinburgh breeze whizzes through them. &nbs...

Youth in Flames – Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker 1

6Aug

By Tom ScottNo Comments

Scotland

Youth in Flames – Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker 1

‘Youth in Flames’ makes a triumphant return to Edinburgh following a sell-out run in New York. Last year, Mimi Martin’s brilliant life-enhancing play garnered a Scotsman Fringe First and a hatful of 5 star reviews. The play tells the story of a British teenager, Millie, coming of age as protests erupt in 2019 against the Hong Kong Government’s proposal to extradite criminal suspects to mainland China. Mimi Martin has written a sparkling script which elicits a mesmerising performance from the playwright herself. She grabs our attention from the very first moment as a strong-willed, sometimes rebellious, schoolgirl venting her feelings about her teachers, peers and parents. There are plenty of light moments in the early scenes but things take a serious turn when Jesse, Millie’s clo...

Ordinary Elephant – Edinburgh Traverse Bar

28Jul

By Roger JacobsNo Comments

Scotland

Ordinary Elephant – Edinburgh Traverse Bar

There are Banjo jokes too numerous – and withering – but after an evening with Ordinary Elephant, in the apt setting of the Traverse bar, erstwhile gag-writers might be forced to revise their material. In the hands of Pete Damore are revealed hitherto unknown sensitivities and tasteful textures, a perfect complement to the soaring vocals and gentle guitar strumming of Crystal Hariu-Damore. It’s atmospheric and dreamy yet with an edge courtesy of insightful, well-observed lyrics, reminding one instantly of The Delines. ‘…born to be a bigot… don’t mean that I am one…’ from ‘Scars We Keep’ appears to hit home with every member of the audience. And the thing one quickly forgets is that it’s just them, husband and wife, with lushly matched vocals and a stringed instrument each. There’s nothing ...