Author: Hugh Simpson
The Rhinestone Cowboy
★★★★☆ Direct
The Rhinestone Cowboy from Jaggy Edina is a deeply felt, visually impressive piece that has real impact.
Toto the Ninja Cat
★★★☆☆ Sweet
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape, at the King’s for one weekend, is a touring children’s production full of fun and charm.
Tristan & Yseult
★★★★★ Brilliant
Tristan & Yseult, at the Lyceum until Saturday, is not only a hymn to the power of love in all its constructive and destructive beauty, but also a hymn to the urgency of the live theatrical experience.
PPP: Bottom’s Dream
★★★★☆ Smart
The last in this season of Òran Mór’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint at the Traverse, is a good one to go out on. Bottom’s Dream, written and performed by Martin O’Connor, is clever and constantly amusing, making necessary and cogent points about the theatre.
Sylvia
★★★★☆ Thrilling
Sylvia is a gorgeously melodic, exciting piece of theatre, sung brilliantly. The musical itself has undoubted flaws, but the performances more than compensate.
PPP: Contact
★★★☆☆ Spiky
Emotional realism and excellent performances distinguish Contact by Jonny Donohoe, the family tragicomedy that is the latest Play, A Pie and A Pint at the Traverse.
Concerned Others
★★★★☆ Moving
Concerned Others is an inventive piece that addresses vital social issues in a way that is poignant, informed and deeply creative.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
★★★★☆ Imposing
Adaptations of Muriel Spark are never in short supply on the Edinburgh stage, but the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is a monumental production in many ways.
Red
★★★★☆ Beautifully acted
Red, from EUTC at the Bedlam for three performances only, is a stunningly well-acted production that only falls just short of being indispensable.
The Archers: Live at 75
★★★★☆ Charming
The Archers: Live at 75, at the Playhouse for one night as part of an ongoing tour, is a fitting tribute to the ‘everyday story of country folk’. The BBC’s farming soap has run since 1 January 1951 (long before its current home of Radio 4 even existed) and clocked up over 20 000 episodes.
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