Thursday, March 28

Tag: Festival Theatre

Hamilton – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Scotland

Hamilton – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

The hype over Hamilton is spot on. This show tells the story of a political man, ambitious to make his mark in a time long gone and it does so with incredible spectacle, drama, humour and pathos. Currently touring the UK and Ireland, I was lucky enough to catch it at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh. The set is a work of art by acclaimed designer, David Korins. It enables the bold, powerful dancers to tell their story on every level. As the auditorium fills, the empty stage is beautifully lit with a rich, almost visceral palette and Howell Binkley’s lighting design lends nuance and substance to every musical note throughout the evening. Howell Binkley deserves his award for lighting this show. The entire cast did their director, Thomas Kail, and his associates proud. It’s a word-he...
Rob Brydon ‘A Night Of Songs & Laughter’ – Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Scotland

Rob Brydon ‘A Night Of Songs & Laughter’ – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Once upon a time in the early noughties Rob Brydon was a cult figure, beloved by those-in-the-know for Marion & Geoff, Human Remains and The Keith Barret Show. Before bobbing up into the mainstream in 2007 via Gavin & Stacey he’d been the voice of countless adverts (following the Megan incident at BBC Radio Wales), the resilience, versatility and humour developed during what was a dark(-ish) period in his professional career and personal life providing ample material for tonight’s show. Of which we wish there’d been more, but… check the title. No-one’s used the words ‘national’ or ‘treasure’ yet but they must be imminent. Accumulated over the years Brydon can draw on such a deep well of honed wit, charm and skill it’s difficult to imagine anything he does failing. Both sure...
Carlos Acosta’s On Before – Festival Theatre
Scotland

Carlos Acosta’s On Before – Festival Theatre

Carlos Acosta, one of the greatest classical dancers of the modern age, with a career that took him from the backstreets of Havana to the most famous stages in the world, is back in Scotland with his signature show On Before. On February 16th, audiences at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre were transported into Acosta's world - an electric journey through the depths of human emotion and expression. Born from personal experience and his own artistic vision, the show traces back to a pivotal moment in Acosta's life in 2010. Conceived as a homage to his late mother, it represents Acosta's most intimate and deeply personal work. Shaped by collaborations with renowned choreographers worldwide, the show's evolution reflects Acosta's commitment to his craft. As the curtains rise, the audience is invi...
Ruins – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Scotland

Ruins – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Part of Edinburgh’s Manipulate Festival 2024, Ruinsis a multi-media dance performance involving three humans, locked within a video cube, who represent the last of the human race, kept alive by machines. Created by Megahertz, a visual theatre company and relying on wordless, highly expressive, beautiful movement from Philip Alexander McDonald, Rita Hu and Suzi Cunningham, the performance is set against an extraordinary soundscape by Cucina Povera and Jamie Grier. The fourth star of this show is the video cube itself, which is extraordinary. Projections from three different directions onto a gauzelike material on a thin metal frame creates the impression of semi-solid walls surrounding the figures and hologram-like images seem to float unhindered within the cube. The effect is mesmer...
Last Rites – Festival Theatre Studio
Scotland

Last Rites – Festival Theatre Studio

This is a story about a man who travels back to his family home in India to conduct a funeral ritual for his late, estranged father, who was a devout Hindu. As he conducts the ritual, he relives experiences from their difficult relationship. This solo piece, performed by Ranesh Meyyapan uses movement, BSL, subtitles and projected images. There is no spoken language. Sometimes the words onscreen are replaced with emoji-like images – for example, the father is represented by a pair of glasses. This nicely reflects the visual nature of gesture-based language. The sound design, by Tayo Akinbode, was a triumph. Music alternates with sound effects. The ambiguous sound of burning flames, or running water, as Meyyapan conducts the ritual, was particularly evocative and brought home the fina...
David Suchet Poirot and More, A Retrospective – Festival Theatre
Scotland

David Suchet Poirot and More, A Retrospective – Festival Theatre

At one point in this show David Suchet tells the audience the moment he knew he had to be an actor. He describes seeing the stage be prepared from the audience and having the epiphany that this was storytelling, that this was magic. If there was ever any doubt that David Suchet was a born storyteller, and there wasn't, then this show proves it wrong. He has that magic. Suchet has spent 25 years (or at least part of every one of them) playing Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. His interpretation is widely judged to be the definitive version of the character, not only in its characterisation but also its scope, as the series covered all (or almost all, if we're being pedantic) of the Poirot novels and short stories and is said to always be on TV somewhere in the world ev...
The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh
Scotland

The Pantomime Adventures Of Peter Pan – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

‘Tomm-eh… Tomm-eh!’ This was wild this year, sketches and skits performed at breakneck speed with scant regard for a wafer-thin plot, but did anyone care? Certainly not Tommy, one of the three kids hauled up to – hopefully – coin a spoonerism from a rendition of May McSmee’s (Allan Stewart) song about ‘smart fellas’. For despite the best efforts of the other two (Enda and Orla) he ended up garnering the biggest cheers for his devil-may-care attitude, quite an achievement in the face of full-throttle Allan Stewart. It summed things up; it wasn’t supposed to go like that, but it had everyone howling in their seats. This was full-tilt, punk pantomime. Amidst the shaky plot were several things that didn’t fit, particularly the Flawless dance troupe, but hang on, it’s… Flawless for heaven’s...
The Barber of Seville – Festival Theatre
Scotland

The Barber of Seville – Festival Theatre

On the evening of November 3rd, 2023, opera enthusiasts gathered at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre to witness a remarkable production of Rossini's 'The Barber of Seville.' This comedic masterpiece, directed by Sir Thomas Allen, unfolded in English, featuring Amanda Holden's translation, and was a testament to the enduring charm of this operatic classic. The narrative centred around Figaro, a character known for his wit and resourcefulness, navigating a world filled with young love and the eccentricities of the elderly. Count Almaviva, smitten by the enchanting Rosina, sought Figaro's assistance in winning her heart. However, the journey was fraught with challenges, as Rosina's guardian, Doctor Bartolo, harboured plans of marrying her himself, keeping her under lock and key. This reviv...
Treason The Musical – Festival Theatre
Scotland

Treason The Musical – Festival Theatre

Ricky Allan’s Treason, The Musical ends on a poignant point - years after the event itself, we’re fixated on the burning of a man who never started the fire. The story, in theory, is simple. Here is the Gunpowder plot, but like you’ve never seen it before. And, instead of focusing on the primary school stories of your youth where Guy Fawkes is caught red-handed and burnt at the stake, Treason focuses on the themes of persecution, scapegoating and secrecy to understand the motives behind the real plotters who took the Gunpowder plot from being a desperate last resort to a possible reality. Setting out the motivations behind the plot, the storyline follows Thomas Percy as he embroils himself in a group of plotters to take down parliament. At the same time, the figure of Guy Fawkes watche...
Scottish Ballet: Twice-Born – Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Scotland

Scottish Ballet: Twice-Born – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

I defy anyone not to love Schachmatt by Spanish choreographer, Cayetano Soto. It translates as Checkmate and playfully works its way through a range of eras, drawing an ongoing smile from this reviewer. Acting as a warm-up to Scottish Ballet's latest work, Twice-Born (developed by new boy on the block, Dickson Mbi) it is a fabulously entertaining and quirky piece. At the get-go your curiosity is piqued as a moody stage is slowly revealed. What follows is witty, unique and brilliantly executed by a top-notch team performing with precision and speed. Christopher Hampson, Scottish Ballet’s CEO, watched Schachmatt two nights in a row: “I remember feeling instant joy because I was watching craft at its highest level,” he said. He knew immediately he wanted to bring it to the Scottish ...