Back at the beginning of the 20th century women were putting themselves on the line, in prison, or even being killed so that they might have equal rights. Emmeline Pankhurst was the most famous campaigner of them all, fighting for women to get the vote. But it was her middle daughter, Sylvia, who fought for […]
While theatre can be magical it is not always about being entertained. It can also, of course, open our minds to new experiences. And occasionally a production comes along that leaves you in awe, knowing the difference it could make to society. The image above is a street, any street. But it isn’t. It’s a […]
Miss Jean Brodie is certainly in her prime in David Harrower’s new adaptation of Muriel Spark’s classic Edinburgh tale. While Maggie Smith’s portrayal of the avant-garde Edinburgh teacher in the 1969 film is forever etched on our memories, in this National Theatre of Scotland/Lyceum production in association with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Gayle Rankin makes the […]
The circus has definitely come to Edinburgh this week. To quote PT Barnum, this show delivers a ‘cornucopia of delights’, with real circus performers, multi-talented musicians – and an elephant – sharing the top spots alongside Matt Rawle in the title role, and Monique Young as his wife. As the Ringmaster, Eamonn Cox whips up […]
Nine years ago in a hotel in Edinburgh’s Old Town, members of Cambridge University’s Musical Theatre Society put on a show written by two university students. I was there. My friend’s daughter was one of the six performers, and there lies a clue. For SIX has since become a global phenomenon, winning a multitude of […]
It’s been 35 years since Anthony Hopkins first terrified us with his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter in the film The Silence of the Lambs. But that image is as graphic today as it was then, so much so that, as I made my way to see Gina Gionfriddo’s new, stage version […]
SIX the Musical has six queens. Bliss the Musical has four princesses. But I’d like to bet they’re going to give Henry VIII’s former wives some stiff competition! Produced by the people behind Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Bliss boasts 17 West End performers, electric vocals and […]
This is a show which makes the climate crisis hot! Everyone should want to be part of fighting to save the planet if it was this much fun. It’s loud, colourful, has great songs and even greater characters, but it is also provocative and deeply moving. If everyone embraced the problem like this perhaps the […]
While thousands of people sit sweating on buses stuck in traffic jams, quaff pints of beer in plastic glasses or down another burger, a group of theatre professionals this week got together to discuss how theatre in general can be sustainable in our changing world. For the climate crisis isn’t just something that’s a myth […]
I could listen to Olivier Award winner Nichola McAuliffe all day. Her talent for speaking regional dialects is a wonder to behold, and so is her ability to inhabit women of all ages and backgrounds, as she demonstrates in this solo show. Annie Wobbler was written for her by playwriting legend Arnold Wesker 45-years-ago when […]