Suzanne O’Brien
The Grand Old Opera House Hotel
★★★★☆ Marvellous mayhem
Isobel McArthur strikes again with The Grand Old Opera House Hotel, a wonderfully written fusion of farce and opera running the full length of the fringe.
What Girls Are Made Of
★★★★★ Exhilarating
Cora Bissett is nothing short of incredible in her gig-theatre show What Girls Are Made Of. It is full-throttle, high energy and, at points, it really does feel like you are front row at a gig.
Wee Seals and Selkies
★★★★☆ Gentle storytelling
Based on two of her popular books, Janis Mackay’s Wee Seals and Selkies at the Scottish Storytelling Centre is a sweet 50-minute show that includes magical Scottish tales of nature and friendship.
Help Yourself
★★★★☆ Sharp and witty
Dynamic collaborators Jess Brodie and Victoria Bianchi play expert hosts in Help Yourself, from Musselburgh-based Emma Ruse Productions running at Summerhall’s demonstration room for the full Fringe.
Protest
★★★☆☆ Girl power
Hannah Lavery’s Protest at the Studio as part of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival proves that, to bring change, all you need is a voice and a little imagination.
Love The Sinner
★★★★★ Masterful
Imogen Stirling does not miss a beat in Love The Sinner, an enthralling fusion of poetry and electronic music created in collaboration with Vanishing Point at the Traverse for two nights only.
Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty
★★★★☆ Enchanting
New Adventures’ magical production of Sleeping Beauty, at the Festival Theatre all week, tells the timeless tale of Princess Aurora with a modern gothic twist that has you hooked from the start.
Swan Lake
★★★★☆ Classically beautiful
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s traditional Swan Lake spellbinds its audience with Tchaikovsky’s iconic and emotive score performed live by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, just as Odile spellbinds Prince Siegfried.
How Not To Drown
★★★★☆ Relentless
How Not To Drown is a moving true story of a young boy’s perilous journey from Kosovo to England, co-written and performed by the man himself. Which, in this ThickSkin and Traverse Theatre Company production, makes for a vital piece of theatre.
Peaky Blinders – the Redemption of Thomas Shelby
★★★★☆ Razor sharp
Festival Theatre: Tue 28 Feb – Sat 4 Mar 2023
Review by Suzanne O’Brien
Was there a need, desire or craving for a dance theatre version of hit TV show Peaky Blinders? Perhaps not. But Rambert Dance’s piece successfully plays on the show’s popularity to introduce new audiences to the world of dance.
Connect
Connect with us on the following social media platforms.