"My Dark Sky" - September 2006

The story of the White Rose group who provided resistance to Hitler's policies within Germany is one that has an attraction for Waldorf, but for me theatre is for entertaining and I was struggling to see that I would get much "enjoyment" from this tale which couldn't end well.

So, I'm pretty surprised to be able to say that I found it a very enjoyable performance, as despite the dark themes and fates of the characters the legacy of their actions was made clear and tone of the ending a positive one. While the acting was of a good standard generally, it was Nicola Jo Cully excellent performance as Sophie Scholl who kept a more positive element throughout the narrative. Stewart Ennis as the older Wilhelm also brought a different dynamic to the group and his measured performance contributed greatly to the success of the show. A very welcome decision was for the cast to avoid going down the line of performing in German accents - a mistake that is far too often made and just proves distracting to the audience.

The story is well told and we have depth to the characters and are given insights into their motivations, their differing views and how they deal with the risks they take - these are clearly defined individuals, not just a generic group of people with a common cause. The only aspect of the writing I'd query was the romantic element which was really just a distraction - I would have been far more interested in the internal recriminations within the group about the decisions that lead to their arrests.

The show makes excellent use of their "stage" and the implementation of their graffiti handiwork is very impressively done, as are the audio visual elements. The set piece finale to the show is perfectly worked and ensures the audience leave on a high (and very grateful they don't have to stay and clean up!)

I've seen some reviews that while not harsh, haven't given this show the credit I think it deserves - there seems to be a snobbish prejudice against the show due to the fact that it is designed to be toured through schools as part of the curriculum. Don't let that take anything away from what is a powerful show with some powerful performances and some memorable images. It's a story that deserves to be told well, and Reeling & Writhing have done it proud. We saw this at the end of the run at the Tramway but there are several performances at venues around Scotland in October and November - if there is one near you give it a go, even if "serious" drama isn't normally your kind of thing.

Now Booking / Coming Soon

Quick update on what we're planning on seeing and reviewing soon...

"Self Contained" @ The Arches by NTS Young Company
"My Dark Sky" @ Tramway and touring by Reeling & Writhing
"Mary Stuart" @ The Citizens (followed by The Royal Lyceum) by NTS
"Yellow Moon" @ The Citizens Circle Studio
"Geeks, Greeks and Party Myths" @ The Citizens Circle Studio
"Frozen" Touring followed by The Citizens by Rapture Theatre
"The Canterville Ghost" @ Rosslyn Chapel by Nonsenseroom

I'm sure we'll end up at a few other things over the coming months too but I think that'll do for now... oh and just for the record - WE DON'T DO PANTOS!

"The Whitechapel Murders" - September 2006

It's always a bit of a lottery when you go to see a show, especially when it's a newly written and produced play. Sometimes it's a hit, othertimes it's a disappointment. I'm happy to say this one was the former. This was a world premiere run from TheatreFusion.

We'd visited the Britannia Panopticon on Doors Open Day and it's well worth a visit if you get the chance. Entry is via an alleyway, then up some stairs but you emerge into an auditorium that takes you back in time and is filled with ghosts. It was quite apt that this was the venue staging a play about the victims on Jack the Ripper.

Despite its dark subject matter the play is a pleasant mix of the grim and humerous. Well written, with good use of both live musical accompaniment (piano and cello) and projected images (remember and turn off the antivirus scheduled scan if using a laptop), you got a real feel for the 5 victims we hear about. There were good performances from the cast with some nice well directed set pieces.

Sometimes keeping things simple is the best policy and with a limited set, no gruesome makeup effects or stage blood this won't turn your stomach, but will stimulate your brain.

The one limitation of the venue is that there is no tiering to the seating or stage, so you and the performers are all on a level. Try and avoid sitting behind any giants.

Unfortunately this was only a short run, but the company are hoping to stage it again and possibly tour with it - we'll let you know if we hear anything more.
------------------
UPDATE - (from the TheatreFusion website)

"THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS", BRITANNIA PANOPTICON MUSIC HALL, Trongate, Glasgow. Located above Mitchell's Amusements. Enter via New Wynd, to the right of the amusement arcade.

Thursday 20th September - Saturday 22nd September 2007. Evening Performances at 7.30pm each night, with a Saturday 22nd September afternoon Matinee at 2pm.

TICKETS FOR THE BRITANNIA PANOPTICON SHOWS CAN BE RESERVED FROM 1ST AUGUST 2007. Email: theatrefusion@hotmail.com

Edinburgh Festival 2006

This year was only our second visit to the Festival. Despite working in Edinburgh for many years I had avoided it as being too unpredicable to be confident of seeing anything other than dross. A visit prompted by Christian Slater's role in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" in 2004 was a turning point, and although we didn't make it across in 2005, this year saw us make two visits and we managed to fit in 6 shows...

The Receipt @ The Assembly Rooms, Fuel Theatre
“The Receipt” is very nearly the perfect Fringe show - excellent physical performances, well written, very funny, and just that little bit different. I wouldn’t dream of trying to outline the plot or format of the show - but our “hero” is along the lines of “Willy Loman” from “Death of a Salesman” crossed with Dustin Hoffman’s character from “Rain Man” who suddenly finds that trivialities are all he has left. His story is retold through performances and techniques that on paper just shouldn’t work, but on the stage definitely deliver. I said “nearly” the perfect fringe show as it does run out of steam a little towards the end, and if they can find a way of ending the show more in keeping with the rest of the performance it would be absolutely perfect. A great way to get your day off to a start.


Fahrenheit 451 @ Gilded Ballon, Godlight Theatre Company
This is a well delivered staging of Bradbury’s classic work. The absence of backdrops and props have obviously focused the group’s minds on how to portray the main set pieces and they are aided greatly by the use of sound and lighting effects, although it did take me a while to work out the “Walls”. The cast slip easily and believably from character to character with each getting a chance to shine. I was a little disappointed that the show didn’t quite resonate for today’s society as I had hoped it might, but it is certainly a very enjoyable way to spend an hour or so.

The Regina Monologues @ “C”, Tidemark Theatre
This deserves to stand or fall on the basis of its central conceit of six present day wives of one man with parallels to the wives of Henry VIII, and on that basis it should stand proud. It’s very easy to believe the tales of these modern women while we are left to reflect on their historical counterparts and the acting is of a high quality although it is only the final wife who managed to really engage my interest. It is both funny and sad in moments, but I am left with the feeling that it isn’t quite as clever as it likes to think it is. The show was also hindered by its staging in a venue with a loud air-con or fan unit in danger of drowning out some of the quieter deliveries, and due to the way the seats are tiered, some characters are at times delivering lines out of view of a large portion of the audience. Worth seeing for its ambitious concept - but make sure you get in the front half of the seating.

Lord of the Flies @ Augustines, Feltonfleet School
An excellent performance of “Lord of the Flies” by a remarkable young cast. We had wondered how adults would portray the children of the story and it was only the night before that we discovered the cast were all schoolchildren of an age with the characters. Those playing the main characters perform well beyond their years, and the supporting cast ensure they are each memorable in their individual roles. Great use of a minimal set/props but “line of sight” was a problem for some of the audience from time to time. If you missed the show you definitely missed out - remember the group for next year!

“Rebus McTaggart” @ Smirnoff Underbelly, Richard Thomson
This was my first show this year that I had chosen after the reviews started to appear, so expectations were high. Fortunately the show lived up to them. At times it did threaten to disappoint as the secondary characters don’t deliver in the same way as Rebus McTaggart does, and to be honest if they weren’t there they wouldn’t be missed (with the exception of the sniffer dog!) McTaggart is where it is at for this show and he’s well crafted and excellent at interacting with the audience. The Crime Reconstruction was truly funny and original - Crimewatch will never be the same again. See this show - I suspect well be seeing a lot more of Richard Thomson in years to come.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” @ Rosslyn Chapel, Nonsenseroom Productions
Wonderful setting for a wonderful performance, an absolute joy from start to finish. Very good performances from the cast all round, and I never like singling out an individual, but the actress playing Helena delivered the best individual performance I’ve seen at this years Fringe, and I’ve been lucky enough to see some great shows. She brought a great presence to the roles and made a clear distinction between her characters in looks and mannerisms. I was lucky enough to attend a Saturday night performance with buffet and chapel tour - well worth paying the extra for as it made the whole thing even more of an experience. Really can’t recommend this show highly enough and we're really looking forward to their Christmas production of "The Canterville Ghost".

"Tales from the Arabian Nights" (Catchup - August 2006)

This was the second Scottish Youth Theatre show we saw this year. We'd been disappointed by Man of the Crowd, but had higher hopes for this one. Again this was in the intimate surroundings of the Citizens' Circle Studio. You're right in the middle of the action, especially when it's a production with a relatively large chorus.

The cast were obviously enjoying themselves, and it showed in their performances. Most of the main characters were playing multiple roles but pulled them off. So much so that Statler had to ask who had played one character and didn't believe me when I told him who it was - such was the difference in the portrayal of the two different characters.

It tripped along at a fair pace, with a nice use of props and a limited set. It's amazing the different uses Ikea boxes can be put to!

"Man of the Crowd" (Catch up - August 2006)

We’ve been going to productions by the Scottish Youth Theatre for many years now, ever since they did a show based on the life of a supposed ancestor of mine. The only years we’ve missed out were because we tried booking too late to get tickets, and the shows have often been the highlight of our theatre-going year. We’ve seen versions of “Into the Woods”, “Sweeney Todd” and also devised pieces such as last year’s “Ugly Duckling”.

“Man of the Crowd” was the first show in the Studio Theatre in SYT’s new home in Glasgow’s Merchant City and was based on the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, with particular focus on the mystery surrounding the last few days before his death in suspicious circumstances. What follows is a tale mingling Poe’s failing mental state and his presumed physical form - portrayed by two separate actors which although initially confusing actually worked fairly well, even if the resemblance between the two was little more than passing.

Part music, part dance, part drama, part poetry reading the show was at it’s best when Poe was being tortured by his own creations but despite a fantastic set and some strong performances it was let down by the writing. We’re given hints of Poe’s fate but it’s all rounded up too quickly, the dialogue just isn’t snappy enough and at times heads towards Bond villain type stuff, and with a running time of around one hour a little extra wouldn’t have gone amiss. It might have meant more to someone with a greater knowledge of Poe’s works, but for me it just didn’t quite work. The cast also weren’t helped by a decision to go with heavy accents, both American and East European of which some cast members were more capable of than others. It hurts me to say it after having such great experiences with the SYT before and since, but this one has to go down as a disappointment despite the valiant attempts of a cast which could no doubt have shone given better material to work with.

"Don Quixote" (Catch up - May 2006)

I wasn’t particularly familiar with the source material but it has been really brought up to date by Theatre Modo in this performance in the Citizens Circle Studio. Now this is a very small space, and blimey didn’t they use every single inch of it! It’s a hugely physical performance for all three cast members and I’m sure they must be covered in bruises at the end of each performance - I wasn’t alone in grimacing in pain as they threw themselves around the stage.

Don Quixote is now living in what appears to be a tenement flat with his best mate and his secret love, spending his time in a fantasy world, at times represented by his obsession with computer games. We watch as his friends at first humour his fantasies before realising things are going too far. It is all wonderfully realised as we witness his challenges and torments, both real and imagined. It is a well written piece but in truth this is all about the performances and they are hugely entertaining. For me this was bordering on experimental theatre, so the company may well have misses as well as hits, but on the basis of this I’ll definitely be checking them out.

As I said, we saw this at the Citizens, but it was also toured, and given the physicality of the piece I think in future we’d try and catch them at the Cumbernauld Theatre where they can make use of a substantailly larger performance area.

"The Princess Bride" (Catch up - May 2006)

Despite living in the area for seven years, it took a performance based on one of our favourite films to get us along to Cumbernauld Theatre. It was being done by the Cumbernauld Senior Youth Theatre. I had really high expectations given my love for the source material, and the show surpassed them. Excellent performances all round especially from the young lady playing Inigo, yes that’s right, young lady, and the change really worked well. All the elements from the film were there, some very imaginatively and effectively recreated, but they had also managed to include some additional scenes from the original book which definitely added to the show. Another welcome decision was the way the cast delivered some dialogue “third person” with added internal commentry - difficult to convey but marvellously entertaining to see. The cast were hugely energetic making the most of the many entrances and exits Cumbernauld theatre's in-the-round auditorium provides, and the swordplay of the main cast was little short of magnificent.
Marvellous show, and we'll definitely be back to see what they come up with in future.

"The Collection" (Catch up - April 2006)

We’d very much enjoyed their version of “Damages” in 2005 so we were very keen when Rapture returned to the Citizens with “The Collection” For a show set in the gritty world of loan sharks there are some humourous parts, but the main flow of the show is relentlessly downwards into despair. Given the nature of the subject, it’s not really a performance to “enjoy” but there’s no doubting the quality on show here. Jimmy Chisholm as Lawson is particularly effective at portraying the realisation of the impact his job has on his clients. The show works wonderfully in the intimate setting of the Citizens Circle Studio theatre and the acting is very much tailored to the setting. It has definitely secured Rapture’s place as one of our favourite companies and we’ll be seeing this year’s second offering - “Frozen” soon.

"Roam" (Catchup April 2006)

Statler was the one who spotted this was on and he had to convince me to go, it all sounded a little arty for me. I was wrong.

This is the first play that I've been to that you not only needed a ticket, but also a passport.

The evening started at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh where our passports were checked, and we were asked to identify a tomato (more on that later). A double decker bus took us out to Edinburgh Airport. After we checked in we were treated to performances throughout the airport; from the check-in desks to the departure lounge to the baggage collection.

The core of the performance (play doesn't quite cover the experience) were 2 intertwined stories. The first was that of travellers from various backgrounds and countries and their interaction as you sit in the rather dull environment that is an airport. The second, and more thought provoking, was looking at people trying to flee from an airport after civil disturbances. In a disturbing twist the country that was falling apart was Scotland, and the 'safe havens' people were trying to flee to were Sarajevo, Beirut (particularly ironic given events later this year) and Kigali. The same actors played roles in both tales.

A though provoking and enjoyable mix followed. A particular highlight was when we were heading to the departure lounge but were delayed by an offloading commuter shuttle from London. The quizzical looks on the faces on the suited business people as they walk past a member of cast reciting 'I am the gatekeeper' with mentions of running fingers up and down was a treat. (PS if anyone has the words that were recited I'd love to have them)

The tomato question earlier was explained as the way this word was pronounced in Arabic was used as a way of determining whether the speaker was a Palestinian, and therefore a fair target. Makes you think - doesn't it?

It was a long evening but didn't drag. A unique production in an unusual venue. Grid Iron and National Theatre of Scotland produced an excellent experience. The critics agreed and gave it 3 awards - including Best Theatre Production

"A Limited Run" (Catch up - March 2006)

We saw this one man show at the Citizens' back in March...

I saw Andy Gray perform on stage many years ago along with Gerard Kelly and the rest of the cast of “City Lights” in a stage version of the popular BBC Scotland sitcom of the late 1980s. I hadn’t seen any of his performances since then as I always felt they would be just that bit too “Glasgow” for my taste.

The premise of “A Limited Run” really intrigued me though - the concept being a downsized God living in a bedsit receiving prayers by fax. After speaking with a friend who had seen the show the previous year at the Edinburgh Festival we decided to book up. Andy Gray was brilliant - bringing out the humour and the pathos of the piece, which despite being part of the Comedy Festival actually has some very bleak moments. He’s also a master at controlling an audience - useful on a Friday evening when some of the audience came from the office via the pub. The only disappontment was that the show still retained it’s Festival running time of around 75 minutes with no interval, and I really did feel they could and should have extended it to a “full length” show with interval.
I’m still not sure I would rush back to see Gray in his comedy roles, but I’d love to see him on stage in a dramatic role, because he definitely has the presence to carry it off.

A to Z of Reviews

4.48 Psychosis - Sweetscar/Tramway/Cumbernauld Theatre, November 2008
45 Minutes, Turret Theatre Co, Edinburgh Festival 2007
100, A Play, A Pie & A Pint @ Oran Mor, November 2007
200th Play, A Play, A Pie & A Pint @ Oran Mor, Sept. 2010
365 - National theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival 2008
2020 Vision - Paper Zoo, Edinburgh Fringe 2010

Aalst - NTS/Victoria, March 2007
Alan Cumming - I Bought a Blue Car Today, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Nonsenseroom, Edinburgh Festival 2006
A Limited Run - Glasgow Comedy Festival, March 2006
A Perfect Child - Oran Mor A Play, A Pie & A Pint - October 2009
Address Unknown - Tron Theatre Co, May 2010
Alien Wars - @ The Arches, January 2009
An Advert for the Army - Oran Mor 'A Play, A Pie & A Pint', April 2008
Ae Fond Kiss - Nonsenseroom, Edinburgh Fringe 2009
Alcatraz - Aireborne Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
All's Well That Ends Well - NT Live, October 2009
Amada - Arches Theatre Company, September 2008
The Angel and the Woodcutter, Cho-In Theatre, April 2009
Animal Farm - GCNS Students, March 2008
Answers - NUTS, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Antigone - Tron Theatre Company, October 2007
An Incident at the Border - Oran Mor, November 2009
The Apprentice - Nonsenseroom, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Arguments for Terrorism - Oran Mor A Play, A Pie & A Pint, October 2009
Armageddon & Fishcakes, Touch Wood, Edinburgh Festival 2007
The Army of Reason - Weaver Hughes Ensemble, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Audience with... Brian Blessed - September 2008
Audience with... Hilary Kay & Paul Atterbury - September 2007
Audience with... Dennis Taylor - September 2008
Audience with... Sir Alex Ferguson - September 2007
Audience with... Sir John Mortimer - September 2007
Audience with... Tommy Docherty - September 2008
Audience with... Tony Benn - September 2008

Baby Baby - Stellar Quines/Perissology, March 2009
The Bacchae - National Theatre of Scotland, August 2007
Backbeat - Citizens Theatre Co & Karl Sydow, March 2010
The Ballad of James II - Nonsensroom, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Barflies - Grid Iron, Edinburgh Fringe 2009
Barry - Rowan Tree Theatre Company, January 2008
Battery Farm - Oran Mor 'A Play, A Pie & A Pint', March 2010
Be Near Me - National theatre of Scotland/Donmar, Jan 2009
The Beggar's Opera - Vanishing Point/Lyceum/Belgrade Theatre, September 2009
The Bird & The Bee: The Bird - Kandinsky, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
The Bird & The Bee: The Bird - Kandisky, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Black Watch - National Theatre of Scotland, April 2007
Black Watch - National Theatre of Scotland, March 2008
Bliss + Mud - Tron Theatre Co, May 2009
Blood Brothers - Lauder Studio Theatre Co, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Blue Hen - NLP Theatre Co, May 2010
The Blue Room - Replico Theatre Co, January 2008
The Bookie - Cumbernauld Theatre, September 2010
Broken Glass - Rapture Theatre, June 2007
The Butler Did It!? - Handsome Chin, Edinburgh Festival 2007

Cabaret - Bill Kenwright Productions, April 2009
Call For The Condemned - Watchthis, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Call it Sleep - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", May 2008
The Canterville Ghost - Nonsenseroom, December 2006
Caesar - GCNS Students, March 2008
The Caravan - Look Left Look Right, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Certain Dark Things - You Need Me, Edinburgh Fringe 2009
The Cherry Orchard - Dundee Rep, September 2009
The Chicago Project - Citizens Young Co, April 2007
The Chooky Brae - Borderline Theatre, September 2010
A Christmas Carol - Oran Mor, December 2009
A Christmas Carol - Nonsenseroom/Meanwhile Theatre, December 2009
Citizen Y: Nighthawks - Citz Young Co, April 2009
The City - Tron Theatre Co, February 2010
Class Enemy - East West Theatre Co., EIF 'Sharing the Festival', September 2008
A Clockwork Orange, EattheBaby, Edinburgh Fringe 2009

A Clockwork Orange - Citizens Theatre Co, October 2010
Cockroach - National Theatre of Scotland & Traverse, October 2008
The Collection - Rapture Theatre, April 2006
Company Policy - Oran Mor, February 2010
Confessions of a Justified Sinner - Lyceum Theatre Company, October 2009
Cooking With Elvis - Tron Theatre Co, July 2009
The Corstorphine Road Nativity - Edinburgh Festival Theatre, December 2009
Creation & All That Jazz - Last Chance Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
The Crucible - Reid Kerr Drama Students, February 2007
Crunch - Oran Mor, February 2010
Cyrano de Bergerac - Play, Pie & Pint @ Oran Mor

Damascus - Traverse Theatre Company, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Dangerous Liaisons - Reid Kerr Drama Students, February 2007
Decky Does a Bronco - Grid Iron, July 2010
Deep Cut - Sherman Cymru, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Defender of the Faith - Tron Theatre Co, February 2009
Detainee A - Ankur Productions, June 2007
Dildon't - Casual Violence, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Djupid (The Deep) - Oran Mor, A Play, A Pie & A Pint, April 2009
The Doctor and the Devils - Citz Young Co, October 2007
The Dogstone - National Theatre of Scotland/Traverse, November 2008
Dolls - NTS Workshop/Hush, January 2009
Don Quixote - Theatre Modo, May 2006
Don Juan - Citizens Theatre Company, September 2008
Dracula - Sell A Door Theatre Co, October 2010
The Drawer Boy - Tron Theatre Co, May 2008
A Drop in the Ocean - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", April 2009
The Ducky - Borderline Theatre Co, May 2009

Educating Agnes - Theatre Babel, April 2008
Educating Rita - Citizens Theatre Co, March 2009
Edward Gant's Amazing Feats of Loneliness - Headlong & Nuffield Theatre, March 2009
Electra - QMU Students, March 2008
Elling - Trafalgar Studios, London, September 2007
Emergence-See - Daniel Beaty, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Empty - National Theatre of Scotland, March 2010
The Event - Absurdum International, May 2010

Fahrenheit 451 - Godlight Theatre, Edinburgh Festival 2006
Failed States - 1215 Productions, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Fall - Traverse Theatre Co, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Fiddler on the Roof - Glasgow Light Opera Club, October 2007
Fifteen Minutes - Oran Mor, Play, Pie, Pint, February 2009
Finished With Engines, Arches Theatre Co, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Five:15 - Scottish Opera, February 2009
Framed - Visible Fictions, December 2008
Fresher:The Musical - Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Frozen - Rapture Theatre, December 2006
Futurology - Suspect Culture/NTS/Brighton Festival, April 2007

Geeks, Greeks & Party Myths - Citizens Young Company, October 2006
Ghosts - Citizens Theatre Co, May 2009
The Girl in the Yellow Dress - Citizens Theatre Co, September 2010
The Glimmering Nymph - Oran Mor A Play, A Pie & A Pint, October 2009
Golden - theatre With Teeth, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
The Government Inspector - Communicado/Tron Theatre Co, February 2010
The Grapes of Wrath - Citizens Community Co, May 2010

Guys & Dolls - Theatre Guild Glasgow, September 2010
Hamlet - Citizens Theatre Company, September 2007
Hamlet - Royal Shakespeare Company, December 2008
Hamlet - Rapture Theatre, February 2010
Handel's Messiah @ Royal Albert Hall - Raymond Gubbay, December 2008
Heaven - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", February 2010
Heer Ranjha (retold) - Ankur Productions, November 2008
Hero - Scottish Youth Theatre, August 2008
Hidden - RSAMD/Vanishing Point, October 2007
His Dark Materials (Part I) - Scottish Youth Theatre, July 2007
His Dark Materials (Part II) - Scottish Youth Theatre, July 2007
Hoors - Traverse Theatre Co, May 2009
The House of Bernarda Alba - National Theatre of Scotland, September 2009
How it Ended - You Need Me, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Hugh Hughes in... Story of a Rabbit - Shon Dale-Jones, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Huxley's Lab - Grid Iron & Lung Ha's Theatre Co, April 2010

I Love You, Bro - Three to a Room Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Ice Cream Dreams - TAG/Citz Community/Young Co., March 2007
In Memory -Greshams School, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Interiors - Vanishing Point et al, April 2009
Involution - Mokita Productions, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
It's a Wonderful Life - Nonsenseroom, December 2007

Jacobite Country - Dogstar Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical, Limelight - September 2007

Killer Joe - The Comedians Theatre Company, Edinburgh Festival 2007
King Lear - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pir & A Pint", June 2008
Kirsten O'Brien's Confessions... - Kirsten O'Brien, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Kursk - Sound&Fury, Edinburgh Fringe 2009
Kyoto - Oran Mor / Traverse Play, Pie & Pint, March 2009

The Last of Us - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", May 2008
The Last Witch - Traverse Theatre @ EIF 2009
Lend Me Your Ears - Citizens Young Co, October 2009
The Lesson - benchtours, October 2008
The Lieutenant of Inishmore - XLC Theatre Co, February 2010
Like The Rain - Tron Theatre Company, October 2008
Limbo - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", May 2008
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - Lyceum Theatre Co, December 2008
Literally - Paul Parry, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Little Red Riding Hood - The Arches, December 2009
The Little World of Don Camillo - Mike Maran, February 2007
Locked In - Half Moon Theatre, October 2008
Lord of the Flies - Feltonfleet School, Edinburgh Festival 2006
Love But Her - SYT Productions, August 2009
Love Labours Won, Rogue Shakespeare Co, Edinburgh Festival 2007
The Love of Three Oranges - RSAMD, January 2009
Loves Times Beggar - Ankur Productions, May 2009
Lucky Box - Oran Mor & Traverse "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", March 2009
Lysistrata - GCNS Students, June 2007

Macbeth - Reid Kerr Students, March 2008
Madame de Sade - Donmar West End, May 2009
Man of the Crowd - SYT, August 2006
Mark Thomas: The Manifesto - Edinburgh Fringe 2009
Mary Stuart - NTS, October 2006
Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off - Langside College & XLC, February 2008
Markus Birdman, Son of a Preacher Man - Edinburgh Festival 2007
Markus Birdman, Sympathy for the Devil - Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Medea - QMU Students, March 2008
Medea - Play, Pie & Pint @ Oran Mor
Mehndi Night - Mulberry School For Girls, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Memory Cells - Glasgay!/The Arches, October 2009
Memory Cells - Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Midsummer - Traverse Theatre Co, November 2008
Miles Jupp: Fibber in the Heat - Edinburgh Fringe 2010
The Miracle Man - National Theatre of Scotland, March 2010
Molly Sweeney - Citizens/NTS, December 2007
Moonwalking - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", October 2008
My Bloody Valentine - Citizens Community Company, February 2007
My Clydeside Valentine - Citizens Community Co., February 2009
My Dark Sky - Reeling & Writhing, September 2006
My Grandfather's Great War - Cameron Stewart, Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Nasty, Brutish and Short - National Theatre of Scotland/Traverse, November 2008
New Works - RSAMD/Playwrights' Studio, September 2009
Nine - Walter Paul Productions, July 2010

Odds and Sods- You Owe Me Glue/Strathclyde Theatre Group, October 2009
Oedipus - QMU Students, March 2008
Oliver - Cameron Mackintosh, May 2009
Oh! What A Lovely War - Scottish Youth Theatre, August 2008
One Gun - Oran Mor, 'A Play, A Pie & A Pint', October 2010
One Million Tiny Plays About Britain - Citizens Theatre Co, June 2010
Othello - Donmar Warehouse, February 2008
Othello - Citizens Theatre Co, November 2009
Otter Pie - Fish & Game, December 2008
Out on the Wing - Oran Mor 'A Play, A Pie & A Pint', March 2008
On the Waterfront - Nottingham Playhouse Production, Edinburgh Fringe 2008

Parlour Song - Almeida Theatre, May 2009
The Patriot Act - Green Room Presents, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Peer Gynt - NTS & Dundee Rep, October 2007
Peter Pan - Citizens Theatre Company, December 2007
Phedre (NT Live) - National Theatre @ GFT
Picasso & Me - Mike Maran, February 2008
The Pillowman - XLC Theatre Co, March 2009
Pinocchio - Scottish Youth Theatre, August 2009
Pit - Arches Theatre Company, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Plague! The Musical - Bubonic Productions, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Poem in October - Oran Mor & Traverse "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", March 2009
The Princess Bride - Cumbernauld Senior Youth Theatre, May 2006
Promises Promises - Random Accomplice, February 2010
The Psychic Detective (and those disappeared) - Benchtours, Edinburgh Festival 2007

Rebus McTaggart - Richard Thomson, Edinburgh Festival 2006
Rebus McTaggart:Crimewarrior - Richard Thomson, Edinburgh Festival 2007
The Receipt - Fuel Theatre, Edinburgh festival 2006
The Recovery Position - NTS Young Company, March 2007
The Regina Monologues - Tidemark Theatre, Edinburgh Festival 2006
Restitution - Pinnochio's Ashes, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Re:Union - 7:84, April 2007
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice - Visible Fictions, March 2007
The Rise and Fall of Little Voice - RPM Arts, March 2008
Roam - Grid Iron/NTS @ Edinburgh International Airport, April 2006
Romeo & Juliet - Nonsenseroom, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Rupture - NTS Workshop, September 2007

Sea and Land and Sky - Tron Theatre Co, October 2010
Self Contained - NTS Young Company, September 2006
Shafted - Peaceful Lion Productions, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
The Shewing Up of Blanco Posnet - GCNS Students, June 2007
Shining City - Rapture Theatre Company, April 2008
The Shoemaker's Wonderful Wife - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint', June 2008
Singin' I'm No a Billy He's a Tim - NLP Theatre, September 2008
Six Acts of Love - Tron Theatre Company, September 2008
Six Characters in Search of an Author - Citizens/Lyceum/NTS, March 2008
Spanglebaby - Poorboy, April 2007
Spectacular - Forced Entertainment, December 2008
Speed-the-Plow - Old Vic, February 2008
Spoonface Steinberg - Beggars & Kings, April 2009
The Soldier's Tale, Academy of St Martin in the Field, November 2007
Something Wicked This Way Comes - NTS & Catherine Wheels, November 2008
Speechless - Shared Experience & Sherman Cymru, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Spring Awakening - RSAMD One Academy, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Stolen Secrets - Mulberry School for Girls, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
St. Nicholas - Richard Jordan Productions, November 2007
Sub Rosa - Citizens/Fire Exit, January 2009
Sub Rosa - Fire Exit, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
Suddenly Last Summer - Tron Theatre Company, October 2008
Sunshine on Leith - Dundee Rep, December 2008
Swindle & Death - Mull Theatre Company, June 2008
The Sword of Maximum Damage - Adam Riches Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2008

The Tailor of Inverness - Dogstar Theatre, January 2009
Tales from the Arabian Nights - SYT, August 2006
Tam O'Shanter - Horsecross Productions, February 2009
Teechers - Glasgow College of Nautical Studies, February 2007
The Tempest - Northern Broadsides, June 2007
That Face - Tron Theatre Company, October 2009
They Shoot Horses Don't They? - Citizens Community Co, Citz Young Co & Turning point Scotland, April 2008
The Third Condiment - Ankle Productions, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Time Bomb - Talk About Productions, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Tiny Dynamite - EGTG, Edinburgh Festival 2007
The Tobacco Merchant's Lawyer - Retrograde Theatre, November 2008
Tony of Arabia - White Rose Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Too Clever by Half - Oran Mor, A Play, A Pie & A Pint, April 2009
The Trial - GCNS Students, March 2009
Trojan Women - QMU Students, March 2008
Turbo Folk - Oran Mor 'A Play, A Pie & A Pint', April 2010
Turn Me To Stone - FourthAngel, Edinburgh Festival 2007
Twelfth Night - Donmar West End, December 2008
Twelfth Night - Good Night Out Theatre, September 2009
The Typhoid Marys - Freemen's School, Edinburgh Fringe 2010

Under My Skin - Oran Mor/Paines Plough, November 2008
The Unravelling - Mulberry School for Girls, Edinburgh Fringe 2009
Valhalla! - Tron Theatre Co, July 2010

Venus As A Boy - NTS, Edinburgh Festival 2007

Waiting for Godot - Citizens Theatre Co, March 2008
The Wall - Borderline & The Tron, March 2008
The Walworth Farce - Druid Theatre, Edinburgh Festival 2007
The Wasp Factory - Cumbernauld Theatre Company & The Tron, April 2008
Waterproof - Play, Pie & Pint @ Oran Mor
The Way of the World - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint" - June 2008
We Will Rock You - STF Productions, June 2007
We Will Rock You - London Dominion, February 2008
What the Animals Say - Play, Pie & Pint @ Oran Mor, May 2009
When a Star Falls - SYT Productions, March 2007
The Whitechapel Murders - Theatrefusion, September 2006
White Tea - Fire Exit, Edinburgh Fringe 2009
Wicked - Apollo Victoria Theatre, London, September 2007
Wicked Christmas 2 - Citizens Community Company, December 2007
Wicked Christmas 3 - Citz Community Co, December 2008
Wicked Christmas: Cinder's Revenge - Citz Community Co, December 2009
Wild Allegations - Edinburgh University Theatre Co, Edinburgh Fringe 2010
The Winter's Tale - RSAMD Students, May 2007
The Wizard of Oz - The Lyceum, December 2007
Women Beware Women - RSAMD Students, June 2007
The Woman From the North - Oran Mor 'A Play, A Pie & Pint', May 2010
The Wonderful World of Dissocia - NTS, June 2007
Wuthering Heights - Tamasha, April 2009

Ya Beauty & The Beast - Tron Theatre Co, December 2009
Yarn - Grid Iron & Dundee Rep, April 2008
Year of the Horse - Tron Theatre Co/Burnt Goods, February 2009
Yellow Moon - TAG, October 2006
You Don't Need To Know That - Gonzo Moose, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Your Ex Lover Is Dead - Arches Live Festival, September 2007

Zanna, Don't! - RSAMD, Edinburgh Fringe 2008
Zarraberri - Oran Mor "A Play, A Pie & A Pint", May 2008
Zero - Theatre Absolute & Warwick Arts Centre, November 2008

Sidebar Links (yes those on the right)

What we've tried to do here is to put together a list of theatres and companies that we feel are worth keeping an eye on.

Every review will include a link to the theatre it was at, and to the company website if there is one. However on all our blog pages we'll try to maintain a list of links for theatres/companies that we feel are worth keeping a special eye out for.

Welcome

Over the last couple of years we’ve found ourselves spending more and more evenings out at the theatre instead of the cinema. There are loads of reasons for this including a preference for seeing films on DVD without the annoying kids and mobile phones, and a realisation that so many films were spoiled by trailers, or were remakes or sequels where there would be very little surprises.

Theatre gave us back that anticipation of never really knowing what you would get. We also benefited greatly from a decision to largely give up attendance at Glasgow’s two main theatres - the Kings and the Theatre Royal - after a few disappointing shows. We’ve now made it a rule never to attend any show which is sold on the basis of it starring such and such from Eastenders etc. The Citizens' has become our regular haunt - with a particular affection for shows in their intimate Circle Studio, although we also enjoy our trips to the Edinburgh Festival and to other local theatres.

After a few recent experiences of seeing a show and then looking for reviews to discover there were very few, if any, we’ve decided to add our own thoughts on the shows we see. Many of the shows we see at the Citizens' then go on tour throught smaller venues in Scotland so the opportunity will be there to see the shows if it catches your interest. Even if you’re reading them too late to attend, they’ll hopefully be a useful indication as to what you can expect from the company.

We’re not in any way theatre experts with vast knowledge of plays, actors and styles, but we know a good show when we see one, and if you disagree with us feel free to comment...