Festival Theatre Archives - Page 3 of 5

11Jun

By Wendy McEwanNo Comments

Scotland

Carmen – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen, based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée, tells the story of an obsessive love affair between soldier Don José (Alik Kumar) and flirtatious factory worker Carmen (Justina Gringytė). The musical scenes are punctuated by spoken dialogue between Jose and a detective known as the Investigator (Carmen Pierracini) and begins with José confessing to the murder of Carmen. I liked Pieraccini’s strength and stillness, watching quietly as the story unfolds, examining evidence and providing a moral compass for the work. In this production, the libretto has been translated into English by Christopher Cowell. Opera can be a particularly challenging genre for a translator, but Cowell’s version flows beautifully. I enjoyed hearing the opera in English, and felt more connected t...

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

1Jun

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

The stage adaptation of this popular film is a gentle immersion into a foreign world where a group of retired Brits take a leap of faith and look for a cost-effective and adventurous way to eek out their days. I relaxed so much I forgot I was reviewing! The acting is spot on, and the fun is sprinkled evenly throughout. This cast received whoops and hollers of appreciation at the end from a less than full auditorium, indicating the niche appeal of a drama about oldies. Deborah Moggach’s 2004 novel, These Foolish Things, and the 2011 film version, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, transfers well to the stage where Colin Richmond’s multi-levelled set gives the whole a sense of space and potential for what lies behind. The flip from hotel to call centre is done with effective simplicity. Bot...

The Stamping Ground – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

24May

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

The Stamping Ground – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

The Stamping Ground is a musical featuring the songs of Scottish Celtic rock band, Runrig. Although little known outside Scotland, Runrig were a hugely popular group with a passionate and loyal fan base from 1973 to 2018. Although the line-up changed a little over the years, Calum and Rory Macdonald remained the constants, having written all the songs featured in this musical, some of which are sung in Gaelic, the native language of their birthplace, The Isle of Skye. Written by Morna Young and directed by Luke Kernaghan, The Stamping Ground tells the story of Euan (Ali Watt) and Annie (Jenny Hulse) who make a decision to return to their highland home when life in London turns sour, and to give their teenage daughter Fiona (Caitlin Forbes) a safer and healthier life. ...

A Streetcar Named Desire – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

4May

By Nazaret RaneaNo Comments

Scotland

A Streetcar Named Desire – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Since its debut in 2012, the Scottish Ballet’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” has been proved to be a stunning interpretation of Tennessee Williams’ classic play. It is a faithful adaptation of the original story that feels completely fresh and innovative in its ballet form. The choreography and music perfectly capture the emotion of the story and the performances are outstanding. This production is a beautiful expression of the themes of love, loss, and desire, and it is easy to see why it has won so many accolades. Every movement is deliberate, emotional, and perfectly timed to convey the psychology and inner battles of the characters. The dancing is both sensual and powerful, effortlessly capturing the passion and intensity of the story. In particular, the pas de deux b...

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Festival Theatre

19Apr

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

The Ocean at the End of the Lane – Festival Theatre

If it’s the Stranger Things style poster that caught your attention or simply the usual high standard that comes with productions by the National Theatre one thing is to be sure you will not be disappointed when going to see the spooky phenomena that is The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman (also known for Coraline, Stardust, Good Omens and many more), you are bound to expect to be taken on a journey through the strange and wonderful but at times frightening. The National Theatre have managed to take Gaiman’s story of a young lad both coming to terms with the suicide of their family lodger due to money as well as learning to deal with the monsters (or should I say flees) he had no idea where lurking at the edges of his world and stamp it onto ...

Wish You Were Dead – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

6Apr

By H.S. BakerNo Comments

Scotland

Wish You Were Dead – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Coming less than a week after the final episode of I.T.V.’s “Grace”, this is a timely outing for a play adapted by Shaun McKenna from the Peter James novel featuring Detective Superintendent Roy Grace. The inspiration for the novel stems from a less than comfortable stay James and his wife experienced at a French chambre d’hote while on holiday in the south of France. However, anyone expecting a gritty thriller with D.S. Grace driving the investigations will be sorely disappointed by this play, which is performed mostly for laughs and is more of a comedy horror than serious murder mystery. As with any detective story, it would be unforgivable to give away the entire plot, (not that there are any real surprises), but the crux of it is that the holidaying Grace, played by ...

Puccini’s Il trittico – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

23Mar

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Puccini’s Il trittico – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Puccini’s Il trittico is part of Scottish Opera’s 60th Anniversary programme. The company aims is “to lay the treasures of opera at the feet of the people of Scotland”. It certainly succeeds with this triple treasure of shorts. Death unites this triptych, but the mood of each showcases Puccini’s inventive mind and creative breadth: aching thwarted love (Il Tabarro); misguided penance and cruel inhumanity (Suor Angelica); the delicious absurdity of human relationships (Gianni Schicchi). If one piece doesn’t touch your sensibility, then the others must, surely. This Scottish Opera team is creative. Director, Sir David McVicar, houses Puccini’s music in stunning sets (designers Charles Edwards), costumes to delight (Hannah Clark), perfect lighting (Ben Pickersgill) and a fantastic orch...

The Plotters Have Mapped Out Their Route…

21Mar

By Caroline WorswickNo Comments

NEWS

The Plotters Have Mapped Out Their Route…

This Autumn will see the highly anticipated British musical Treason premiere its first full production in select theatres across the UK. Kicking off with a bang on 25th October at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Treason will continue to Sheffield Lyceum Theatre on 31st October and finally explode into London’s Alexandra Palace from 08th – 18th November. Treason the Musical is an historic tale of division, religious persecution, and brutality, ending in an ambitious yet fateful plot to bring down both the monarchy and the government. Set to blow you away with stunning original folk and pop songs, this one-of-a-kind show tells one of the most intriguing tales in Britain’s history as it’s never been seen before. Photo: Mark Senior Garnering a global audience follow...

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

16Mar

By Greg HolsteadNo Comments

Scotland

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story – Festival Theatre, Edinburgh

Week 3 of a 40-week tour of the UK, the long-running musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, lands at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre. The multi award winning globe-trotting show, first performed in 1989, has clocked up an impressive 10,000+ performances in the UK, putting it firmly in the top 10 of UK musicals and can fairly promote itself as the forerunner of the now very popular Juke Box musical. Typical of this style of musical, the script and acting play very much second fiddle to the music, which to be fair is practically non-stop. The story, what there is of it, by Alan Janes, focuses on the last 18 months, between 1957 and 1959, of Charles Hardin Holley’s, too short 22 years. The script could do with a reboot and the delivery is patchy, but gratefully, the music is never far away...

Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice – Festival Theatre

11Mar

By Louise BalaguerNo Comments

Scotland

Dada Masilo’s The Sacrifice – Festival Theatre

Award-winning South African choreographer Dada Masilo has embarked on a UK tour of The Sacrifice, and it is not one that you want to miss – with its last date in Newcastle on 12th April 2023, it will fly by as quickly as this performance did. Revisiting Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and inspired by Pina Bausch’s performance of the same name, the amount of influences that Dada draws upon make for a deeply compelling piece of storytelling: with a mixture of classical and contemporary dance forms, and drawing on her own cultural heritage, incorporating ‘Tswana’, the traditional dance of Botswana, into the movement, The Sacrifice is a beautiful piece about ritual, sacrifice, and healing. Featuring its own original score, performed live on stage (with the spellbinding voice of Ann...