Ashley Page, the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Scottish Ballet, has a penchant for politicising the classics and with a century-wide chasm written into The Sleeping Beauty, it's something he's been unable to resist. Princess Aurora's (Claire ...
Wed 01 Feb 2012 by Sean Watson | Read more »
The critically acclaimed masterpiece, One Man, Two Guvnors written by Richard Bean and directed by Nicholas Hytner came to the Kings Theatre, Edinburgh. Based on the Goldoni classic; The Servant of Two Masters, Bean transforms the comedy into a side-sp...
Wed 30 Nov 2011 by Francesca Parker | Read more »
Street Scene is an American Opera set in the 1920’s that portrays the life and experiences of various American people. Direction is courtesy of John Fulljames with accompanying musical direction by Southbank Sinfonia Touring Orchestra&...
Sun 20 Nov 2011 by Francesca Parker | Read more »
Wayne McGregor's versatility and unmistakably original style makes this choreography perhaps the most powerful and important of the past twenty years. Whether breathing fresh life into 'the establishment' as Resident Choreographer at the Royal Ballet ...
Wed 02 Nov 2011 by Sean Watson | Read more »
Slava, a burly and bearded Russian man, is the creator of this worldwide phenomenon of a show. It could be described as a clowning act, but this production is so much more than that and deserves to be recognised as such. In Slava’s own words it is "a t...
Wed 02 Nov 2011 by Anna Hafsteinsson | Read more »
All aboard the ‘Vital Spark’ for a voyage of hilarity, hypocrisy, and high jinks. In this new production written and directed by John Bett, Para Handy and his crafty crew return to entertain you with their exploits. For those of you ...
Wed 19 Oct 2011 by Sophie Stephenson | Read more »
Musicals are polarizing things. You either know all the lines to 'I Could Have Danced All Night' or you don't. Country music can also divide people, and Dolly Parton is either celebrated as a second mother or an utterly perplexing individual with a lot...
Fri 07 Oct 2011 by Caroline Bottger | Read more »
The Festival Theatre is currently hosting Bill Kenwright's Rock ‘n’ Roll Heaven, which is currently touring the UK. Comprised by a cast of talented musicians and flawless singers the show is no doubt going to be, if it isn't already, a grea...
Wed 05 Oct 2011 by Francesca Parker | Read more »
From Dave Simpson, the writer who created the extremely successful Ladies Night, comes The Naked Truth which offers up more intelligence and depth than the saucy title suggests. Although relying heavily on the Loose Women culture of gossip, innuendo an...
Wed 05 Oct 2011 by Virginia Hancock | Read more »
Creative Director of Northern Ballet David Nixon's choice of Claude-Michel Schonberg as composer betrays the potential richness intended for their new ballet. Schonberg's muses are certainly emotionally heavy, iconic and culturally complex. He's tackl...
Sat 07 May 2011 by Sean Watson | Read more »
Like many successful dance troupes, Spirit of the Dance has been touring both the UK and the world for several years. As the stage show has been executively produced by David King, residentially directed by Neil Dorward and was to be performed by 18 ta...
Fri 06 May 2011 by Francesca Parker | Read more »
Last week the Edinburgh Festival Theatre saw what will undoubtedly prove to be the highlight of Scottish Opera’s 2010/11 season: Richard Strauss’s oddball comedy, Intermezzo. This is an opera unlike any other. Strauss forces the heroic mel...
Wed 20 Apr 2011 by Jonathan Goat | Read more »
"We are a comedy dance company, doing a comedy dance show" stresses Tory Dobrin, Artistic Director of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, following the company's triumphant return to Edinburgh. Indeed, this is primarily a comedy dance show, but Dob...
Wed 20 Apr 2011 by Sean Watson | Read more »
The name George Frideric Handel rarely connotes opera, and so Scottish Opera’s production of Orlando comes as a novelty for even the most steadfast of aficionados. There is something refreshing about going to the opera without bias (excepting the...
Wed 09 Mar 2011 by Derval Tannam | Read more »
"If you are a fan of the movie or simply appreciate wonderful music, this show is for you" : an over ambitious statement on a show that delivers an enjoyable cabaret for the price of a musical. There is no doubt of the lead actors' talent, or that of t...
Tue 08 Mar 2011 by Virginia Hancock | Read more »
Wild Rose Productions have brought the magical story of Peter Pan to life through its fabulous cast of Russian ice stars. After their previous productions of Snow White, Cirque de Glace and Cinderella, they return once more to Edinburgh’s Festiva...
Thu 24 Feb 2011 by Francesca Parker | Read more »
Cinderella is a timeless classic; endlessly reinterpreted and imagined since it's folk roots. For ballet, the shoe is an enthralling symbol, one only has to think of The Red Shoes. Emblazoned on the curtain, greeting the audience as we take our seats...
Thu 24 Feb 2011 by Sean Watson | Read more »
The last few weeks have seen performances of the latest collaboration between Scottish Opera and the RSAMD: Janácek's The Cunning Little Vixen. Written late in Janácek's life, this opera is a complex affair full of underlying tension and...
Thu 10 Feb 2011 by Jonathan Goat | Read more »
This Christmas, the Festival Theatre brings Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s tale of grief, magic and miracles to the stage. Directed by Anna Linstrum, with music and lyrics by Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, The Secret Garden is...
Sat 22 Jan 2011 by Rachel Hunt | Read more »
The Adventures of Pinocchio is an outright triumph in many respects and was without doubt one of the best contemporary stagings of an opera. Armed with only painted wood and delightful innovation, Opera North have created a medley of awe-inspiring s...
Wed 10 Nov 2010 by Jonathan Goat | Read more »