Edinburgh
Guglielmo Tell, Teatro Regio Torino, Noseda, Usher Hall, EdinburghWednesday, 27 August 2014
First, confessions. I’m the dance critic here at theartsdesk. Yes, this is a review of a concert performance of an opera, and no, I haven’t picked up a detailed knowledge of Rossini’s oeuvre as a byproduct of my education in pirouettes and Pina... Read more... |
Sweet Mambo, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Edinburgh PlayhouseSunday, 24 August 2014
The Edinburgh Playhouse is the largest UK theatre regularly used for dance. The stalls alone seat more than the total capacity of Sadler’s Wells, and the two circles combined seat even more again, for a maximum audience of 3,059. To see it filled... Read more... |
Wall, Mørk, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Davis, Usher Hall, EdinburghFriday, 22 August 2014
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Edinburgh Festival debut was the most telling example yet of the 2014 festival’s disregard for conventional concert programming. A programme that began with Strauss’ Don Juan and Four Last Songs could easily have... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2014: MurleyDanceThursday, 21 August 2014
MurleyDance is something of an oddity in the world of small independent dance companies, in that it proudly wears pointe shoes. Yes, this is – according to its own publicity - the only professional classical ballet company attending the Fringe, and... Read more... |
Gnosis, Akram Khan, King's Theatre, EdinburghWednesday, 20 August 2014
In keeping with the trends of recent years, the Edinburgh International Festival is showcasing a small but eclectic dance programme, light on classical ballet and heavy on contemporary, international and fusion. After choreographer Mark Baldwin’s... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2014: Chris Turner/ BEASTS/ Angela Barnes/ Show PonyTuesday, 19 August 2014
Chris Turner: Pretty Fly, Pleasance Courtyard ****This is Chris Turner's debut show as a stand-up, although his previous experience in improv group Racing Minds gives him a wonderful assurance on stage and an easy rapport with his audience.Turner,... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2014: Adam Riches/ Josie Long/ Loretta Maine/ Dane Baptiste/ Tom AllenSunday, 17 August 2014
Adam of the Riches, Pleasance Dome ****No one is safe at an Adam Riches show from being grabbed to take part in his frantic sketch comedy; each skit in this hour of anarchy involves audience participation, from using someone's mouth as a cocktail... Read more... |
Edinburgh Art Festival: Scotland to outer spaceSaturday, 16 August 2014
Like a canny political campaigner, the Edinburgh Art Festival offers “something for everyone”. In this singular year for Scotland, the festival weaves together strands concerning the independence referendum, the Commonwealth and the centenery of the... Read more... |
Gerhardt, Osborne, Queen's Hall/Keyrouz, Ensemble de la Paix, Greyfriars Kirk, EdinburghThursday, 14 August 2014
“Ah now, I can’t promise you sun,” says a Scots lady-in-waiting of her native weather to a novice Englishwoman near the start of Rona Munro’s masterly James Plays. It’s the first of many references to make the audience laugh knowingly. Well, after... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2014: Cuckooed/ The Carousel/ Julie Burchill: Absolute Cult/ So It GoesThursday, 14 August 2014
Cuckooed, Traverse Theatre *****Mark Thomas's new show is in the theatre section of the Fringe brochure, but this hour, full of laughs and witty lines as it is, could easily be under the heading of comedy. Indeed, Thomas once made his living as a... Read more... |
Edinburgh Fringe 2014: Bridget Christie/ Men in the Cities/ Lazy Susan/ OutingsWednesday, 13 August 2014
Bridget Christie: An Ungrateful Woman, The Stand *****This is the “difficult second album” show for Bridget Christie, despite her having done 10 years at the Fringe. She finally found her voice at last year's festival, deservedly winning the... Read more... |
The James Plays, Edinburgh Festival TheatreTuesday, 12 August 2014
Rona Munro's history cycle may take some liberties with the facts, as the writer admits in the programme notes, but its broad narrative sweep has been talked about as a state-of-the-Scottish-nation trilogy. It's the first joint production of the... Read more... |
