Maureen Beattie
A Spark of Philosophy
Muriel Spark at the Book Festival:
This year’s Book Festival has featured several events designed to appeal to the theatre-goer which cross over with the strand celebrating the centenary of the birth of Edinburgh’s own Muriel Spark.
Muriel Spark: Creme de la Creme
★★★★☆ Literary:
On the eve of the centenary of Muriel Spark’s birth, the Usher hall was packed for Muriel Spark: Creme de la Creme, an evening of readings, reminiscences and a performed reading of the Edinburgh-born author’s only play.
The Winter’s Tale
★★★☆☆ Layered:
Lucid and engaging, the Lyceum’s Scottish-set production of The Winter’s Tale has much to recommend it, even if it does not quite convince.
Artists plea at CATS
Romanes warns of “sector of administrators”:
Muriel Romanes has used her award of a CATS Whiskers at this year’s Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland to call for the artist to be put at the heart of theatre.
Edinburgh CATS
Strong showing in noms for annual theatre awards:
Edinburgh companies and festivals make a strong showing in the shortlist for the 2016 Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland, announced today, Monday 16 May.
Right Now
★★★★★ Discombobulating:
Taut, hilarious and shocking, Right Now – at the Traverse to May 7 – plays with farce and comedy before finding a dark corner of the psyche in which to settle.
Trilogy’s trio of Fringe Firsts
Quines get third Fringe First & Trav gets three:
Stellar Quines has won its third Fringe First for the Jennifer Tremblay trilogy of plays, with one going to The Deliverance.
The Deliverance
✭✭✭✭✩ Fertile soil:
Involving, dark, human poetry is in great supply in The Deliverance at Assembly Roxy. Stellar Quines’ presentation of the third part of the story that began with The List is a success in its own right, as well as a worthy successor to what has gone before.
Yer Granny
✭✭✭✩✩ Saucy:
Hugely – if inconsistently – funny, but lacking real dramatic impact, Yer Granny at the King’s is certainly crowd-pleasing but does not seem destined to linger long in the memory.
The Carousel
✭✭✭✭✩ Stunningly performed
Impressive production values and impeccable acting are on display in The Carousel. Stellar Quines’ production at Traverse 2 of the second part of Jennifer Tremblay’s trilogy succeeds on its own terms but does not entirely fulfil the huge burden of expectations placed upon it.
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