"Mehndi Night" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

One of the biggest sins a Fringe show can commit is to be overlong - the temporary seating just isn't up to it and if you start to lose the audience's attention they quickly become unsettled and start to fidget. With a runtime of just 40 minutes "Mehndi Night" is a blessing for the Fringe-goer and there's no padding here - every line is carefully crafted and made to count.

This production by Mulberry School for Girls, written by professional playwright Fin Kennedy is set around a traditional Bengali pre-wedding event where the female family members are gathered - similar to a hen night without the excesses. The cast come on stage out of character and explain in rhyme/song that they are presenting the play about their families, their traditions and we are cleverly introduced to each character as the performer 'steps' into their role.

The performances are all of a high standard with Rubina Begum as Ripa delivering a brilliantly confident performance in a role that holds the show together, acting as the narrator and delivering her lines in rap/rhyme. I really can't single out others as they were all excellent, delivering complex sequences of intertwined lines with perfect timing.

I'll not go into the plot in detail as the way it is gradually revealed is part of the show, but it addresses a number of the issues facing young women of Bengali origins, and equally relevant to many others. Arranged marriages, family jealousies, religion, dress, music, family history, it's all covered here and not just glossed over. All sides of the debates are given voices, and all sound authentic and genuinely held opinions.

My only quibble with the piece is what I felt to be a disheartening ending with the main character still being forced to make a choice between following her dreams and her family. I'm saddened that they didn't believe there to be a middle ground and I'd have hoped that even the act of bringing such a show to Edinburgh would highlight the importance of holding on to your dreams and ambitions.

"Mehndi Night" is a truly delightful piece and Kennedy has done a wonderful job in his stated aim of giving these young adults a voice, and achieved it in an entertaining, amusing and challenging manner. As well as an insight into the Bengali culture the show has also had a major impact on my thoughts on identity - I had never before considered just how strong the 'London' aspect of identity is, but it's clearly a major part of how many people would describe themselves - an interesting element when so often such debates are focused on Englishness/Britishness.

And if you make it along, make sure you pick up a programme - for £1.50 it includes a full script and is well worth having.
Mehndi Night runs at Venue 45 until 11th August at 12:10.

"Killer Joe" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Although "Killer Joe" appears to be sold on the basis of Phil Nicol's involvement as Ansel, the stars of the piece are Tony Law as a deadpan Joe and Charlotte Jo Hanbury as the unworldly Dottie. The production successfully brings out the humour and the darkness in the play and doesn't shirk from its violence and immensely uncomfortable moments.

We're quickly brought up to speed with the members of our trailer-trash family and their financial predicament which results in them resolving to have their mother/ex-wife murdered to get their hands on her life insurance. The dialogue is pretty snappy and the laughs come easily but as things progress the violence becomes more pervasive.

Law has a real stage presence here and does quietly intimidating very well, while Hanbury's performance is both incredibly brave and subtle when required. The nudity is appropriate to the piece and contributes to the feeling of deep unease that is intended.

The tale is very well plotted and holds tight right up until the end, when the quickfire resolution gives an immediate sense of "that was pretty cool" but which quickly gives way to "that didn't actually make a lot of sense, did it?". It's such a shame that the ending doesn't live up to the rest of the show but it shouldn't detract from what is a very strong production.

One final note - the set design for the trailer is truly incredible - if this isn't the best set at this year's fringe I'll eat my chicken drumstick...


"Killer Joe" is at the Pleasance Courtyard until the 27th (not the 15th) at 18:00.

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We've since found out that the set was designed by Simon Scullion - we'd have credited him sooner if there had been a programme available on the night.

"Turn Me To Stone" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

FourthAngel's "Turn Me To Stone" has given me a bit of a problem to review. There is definitely a good show in there, in fact probably two, but as it stands the combination didn't sit well together. Although I did hear two different audience members upon leaving call friends to tell them about a "great play" they had just seen.

Set in a relief/emergency shelter after an undefined disaster we meet "Liam" (Richard Dennis) and his two younger siblings Charlotte and Morgan (the adult Katy Bartholomew & Nick Kay putting in remarkable performances as 10 year olds.) Their parents are missing and Liam has to find them while also looking after the children. This is where my real interest in the piece lay and the writing and performances were spot on.

We then meet David, a local political activist who is helping to run the recovery centre, but whose extremist right-wing views are gradually revealed as he attempts to recruit David to his cause. This raising of race/cultural issues just didn't work for me, and whilst performed well by Fred Gordon, David was left rather two dimensional. The audience never sees the potential that David appears to see in Liam and is left somewhat puzzled by it. A much more interesting angle was David's wife Marianne (well portrayed by Gwennie Von Einsiedel) and her uncomfortable relationship with the younger children. Indeed, David's interest in Liam worked best for me when it appeared to be hinted as potentially sexual. The sub-plot involving a mother with a missing daughter also seemed more of a distraction than anything else.

Writer Tom Latter clearly has a real talent for writing the characters/dialogue for the children and I'd love to have seen this as the sole focus of the piece. His political dialogue also has the potential to work - but not here, not for me. As it stands it is definitely worth seeing but leaves a feeling of a missed opportunity.

"Turn Me To Stone" runs until the 26th (not Wednesdays) at 15:40 at Roman Eagle Lodge.

"The Butler Did It!?" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

As someone who has always felt the works of Agatha Christie and her ilk take themselves far too seriously I was really looking forward to seeing "The Butler Did It!?" but twenty minutes in I was surprised to find myself mentally preparing a review that was starting to look like a hatchet job. I was however, even more surprised to find that by the end of the show they had managed to turn things around and I left with a grin on my face.

The set-up is simple - rich old bloke gathers family member to inform them of his will and then finds himself bumped off, with all in attendance considered suspects by the crime-solving old biddy. The problem is that the humour required really struggles in the first half and isn't strong enough, often enough to gain any momentum. There was a good deal of laughter in the audience but much of it seemed to be of the 'laughing-at-my-friend-doing-something-silly' variety rather than down to the writing, which at time dropped to schoolboy humour (Fanny/Dick & the hotdog scene spring to mind)

But what a turnaround! From the 'gene pool' gags onwards the quality really improves and a very nice set-piece involving voiceovers, combined with the realisation that the timeline isn't quite as it seems bring us towards a reveal that was genuinely laugh-out-loud funny.

The performances were all good - particularly "Lauren Silver" as the quirkily unstable "Faith", Amie Burns Walker as "Gertie" and Gemma McElhinney as "Miss Marbles". During the final musical number "Crime Doesn't Pay" (one of two in the show) Kevin Quinn notes one crime that does pay - well I think he can add his own show stealing performances in both of his roles to that particular list.

I'm glad I saw this and really enjoyed the second half, which more than made up for a definite feeling of wasted potential early on. In a similar fashion I have to note that the programme produced for the show (£1 charge) is an excellent example of what these should be, with detailed cast info, images and show notes. But guys if you put your website on the programme - make sure there is something to see!

Addendum: Some content has now been added to their website.

"The Butler Did It!?" runs at Roman Eagle Lodge until the 26th at 13:10.

Now Booking / Coming Soon - Autumn 2007

Just a reminder to everyone that the Autumn/Winter schedules for most theatres are now out. Tickets will be selling quickly for the most popular shows, so don't get so caught up in the Fringe that you forget you've got the rest of the year to book up for.

We're still finalising what we're going to see, and we've already booked up for some shows. I'm not going to list them alljust yet, mainly because I can't be bothered to go get the tickets from the front of the fridge, but also because there's at least a couple of more things we want to book up for.

However as we've already mentioned we'll be venturing to London, back to the Theatre Royal, Glasgow for "The Bacchae". We've got a few things already booked for The Citizens too. In addition to venturing back to the Theatre Royal, we're possibly heading back to the King's Theatre too (see Are You Positive? for why we don't go to either often).

We'll try and sort out the schedule over the next week or as and update this entry with a full list of forthcoming attractions.

"Emergence-See" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Of all the theatre productions at this year's Fringe this was the one with the concept that grabbed me most. The idea of an abandoned historic slave ship suddenly appearing in present day New York seemed so full of potential that by the time I saw the show it was almost certain to disappoint. I said *almost*.

Over 75 minutes Daniel Beaty portrays dozens of characters as they react to the events of the day with particular focus on a father and two sons who find themselves more caught up than most. Their tale is interwoven with the tales of others, and as well as the slave ship, the other focus of the piece is a slam poetry contest one of the sons is involved in.

Aided by only lighting and sound effects, Beaty's transitions between character are incredibly well realised, even when switching between two halves of conversations a dozen times a minute. It's a stunning performance - vocally, physically and textually. While the issues raised have greatest relevance to Black America you certainly don't need an in-depth understanding of American history to appreciate this show and much of it speaks equally to UK problems.

While the main tone of the piece is humourous, this is powerful stuff and the topics covered are discussed seriously, and Beaty is perfectly capable of pulling the rug from under the audience on occasion.

This was a joy to watch and is everything a Fringe show should be, although there are a few moments that start to drag a little. Now it may have been due to the influence of an American contingent in the audience but this got a standing ovation from over three quarters of the audience. While it's a great show I wasn't one of those standing - I've never yet given any show a standing ovation. I believe that it isn't a decision, a standing ovation should be something you just can't stop yourself from doing, but make no mistake, anyone wanting to see quality at this year's Fringe should have this high up on their list.

Emergence-See is at Assembly @ St George's West until the 27th at 18:45 (not 6th or 13th)

"Love Labours Won" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Rogue Shakespeare Company's "Love Labours Won" at the Gilded Balloon Teviot is clearly both written and performed thoroughly with tongues in cheeks, gently mocking the Bard's style in an affectionate manner that is more homage than spoof. Sadly at the Fringe it's not uncommon for an audience to fail to get the show they deserve, but in this case I was left feeling that the show hadn't got the audience it deserved.

While not perfect I found this to be well written, both linguistically and plotwise, and the humour largely hit the mark - for me at least. Unfortunately much of it seemed to be missed by large sections of the audience and the laughter was pretty restrained.

The decision to go with an all-female cast didn't seem to either add or detract greatly from the piece (apart from one or two cheapish gags) although I enjoyed all the performances, with Clare Harlow as "Julia" and Emma Canalese as "Annabelle" being particularly strong. Jade Allen as "Caesus" gave a performance inspired by Blackadder's "Lord Flashheart" but it was very much in tone with the production.

That can't be said for the nudity towards the end of the show. While not in any way tasteless or gratuitous it just didn't add anything significant and seemed out of place. At the Fringe any show that has to warn of nudity on its flyers/listings risks being classed along with the kind of shows that use it for shock value or attention seeking to make up for lack of quality/originality - and "Love Labours Won" shouldn't need that - it's a quality production.

This isn't going to provide bundles of belly laughs but it should certainly leave those with an attention span and passing understanding of Shakespearean dialogue with a smile on their face.

"Love Labours Won" is at the Gilded Balloon Teviot until 27 August with daily performances at 16:30.

"Pit" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

Being seasoned Fringe-goers we had planned our schedule well, and after "Venus as a Boy" we were remaining in the Traverse for the Arches Theatre Company production of Megan Barker's "Pit", and had left just enough time between shows to grab some lunch in the theatre cafe/bar (Nachos with chilli are excellent). Given the food related themes of "Pit" it was just as well we ate beforehand.

The structure of the show is a strange one and takes a little getting used to, but does in fact work fairly well. "Myrtle" is played, at times simultaneously, by three actors - Yvonne Caddell, Ray Farr and Patricia Kavanagh as we see her/them prepare a meal under the assumed supervision of social services. These cooking scenes are intermixed with flashback style scenes of the events leading up to Myrtle's current situation as she struggles with family life in trailer-trash America. During these flashbacks the actors take it in turns to play other family members, although the fact that different "Myrtles" play the same family members at different times seemed to add unnecessary confusion to an already difficult conceit to follow.

Performances were all good with each proving capable of effectively portraying their multiple roles and delivering what is quite a physical performance. However, in many ways the 'triple casting' of Myrtle seems unnecessary and adds little to the piece that couldn't be achieved with a single Myrtle playing against one or two others in the supporting roles. It isn't confusing and does add one or two nice touches but the pay-off seems a poor reward for the effort involved.

For the most part the plot is well paced, but the use of "Baby Whistler's Song" (of which the production flyer makes a great deal) seems immensely out of place and takes away much of the momentum the show had been building. Many of the issues raised here are good ones and in general it avoids coming across like a Michael Moore documentary.

The 'reveal' comes suddenly and while it being unexpected would normally be a plus point, I'm afraid I do like my twists/shocks to be at least hinted at earlier in the piece rather than seemingly dropped in as happens here.

"Pit" is typical Fringe fayre and worth seeing if it fits in with your plans, but I'm not sure I'd plan a schedule around it.

Pit
Traverse Theatre
2 August - 26 August 2007

"Venus As A Boy" - Edinburgh Fringe 2007

The Fringe is an ideal opportunity to try new things, and take a risk in what you're seeing. However in the interests of breaking us in gently our first show this year was an adaptation by Tam Dean Burn of Luke Sutherland's novel 'Venus As A Boy', in conjunction with National Theatre of Scotland's Workshop, so we felt we were starting on safer ground. I'm always slightly concerned by novel adaptations as due to time and practical constraints it can be almost impossible to make a completely successful transition to either film or stage. However as Luke Sutherland was so intimately involved in this - to the extent of providing the score and live music - he was obviously comfortable with how his work was being presented. As I've not read the book yet (see below), the production had to stand on its own.

The incestuous nature of the cast and crew of Venus As A Boy did have us worried beforehand. When the author of the novel is onstage providing the music, and the adaptation has been carried out by the main performer it makes a reviewer's job that much harder. It also leaves all those involved very exposed.

Despite starting slowly, you soon become caught up in the tale of D/Désirée and how circumstances conspire. The small flashes of Sutherland's life that are woven through D's tale take on much more significance when he's standing in front of you playing his electric guitar or violin. In fact if there was one disappointment in this is that Sutherland's contribution is so non-verbal. Meaningful looks and the excellent score only went so far for me - I wanted more. However ultimately this isn't his story - it's D's.

Tam Dean Burn laughingly admitted in his introduction that he doesn't quite meet the description of D as a gorgeous Orcadian boy. And physically you've got to agree. However he brings both an energy and vulnerability to his portrayal of D that makes physical appearance largely irrelevant.

A limited set also worked well, with the lighting providing shifts in mood and tone. It was also revealing that Dean Burn's co-director, Christine Devaney has a strong dance background. The use of costume and choreography together helped bring the other 'characters' to life.

All in all this was a good start to the 2007 Fringe.

Venus As A Boy
Traverse Theatre
2 August - 28 August 2007
then London, Glasgow and Liverpool

PS The Traverse always does well at offering books/script books for sale. We picked up 'Venus As A Boy', so I'll be able to say how well the book adapted.

Photo by Eammon McGoldrick, used with permission.

Coming around again...

A quick pointer on a few shows that we saw last year that are making a return over the next couple of months.

"Yellow Moon" has a long run at the Traverse as part of the Fringe, and although I found it a little overloaded with issues, the performances and direction were excellent. As well as the Fringe it also returns to the Citizens in September.

As well as his new show Rebus McTaggart:Crimewarrior, Richard Thomson also brings back his original Rebus McTaggart show for a limited run. Feltonfleet School also return with their production of "Lord of the Flies" although I suspect with a different cast. Our review of last years festival includes coverage of both of these shows.

Moving away from the Fringe, and the reason for this post, one of our favourite shows from 2006 is returning to the Britannia Panopticon in late September. "The Whitechapel Murders" really impressed us with it's concept, writing and performances and the atmospheric setting made it a memorable evening. For a show about the victims of Jack the Ripper it was hugely entertaining while remaining respectful given the subject matter. More info from Theatrefusion, but book quickly as these shows are always popular as it's a rare chance to see the Panopticon where a young Stan Laurel once appeared, back in use.

We've got a good number of new shows now lined up for later in the year, so we'll be adding a new Now Booking/Coming Soon post shortly.

Fringe 2007 Index

A full list of our Edinburgh Fringe 2007 reviews and links to other Fringe info.

Preview Part 1
Preview Part 2
Tips for Fringe goers
Coming to a Theatre Near YOU (shows transferring post-Edinburgh)

Review Schedule
Venus As a Boy - review posted
Pit - review posted
Love Labours Won - review posted
Emergence-See - review posted
The Butler Did It?! - review posted
Turn Me to Stone - review posted
Killer Joe - review posted
Damascus - review posted
Mehndi Night - review posted
Armageddon & Fishcakes - review now posted
Rebus McTaggart:Crimewarrior - review posted
Kirsten O'Briens Confessions - review now posted
Ballad of James II - review now posted
Blood Brothers (Lauder College) - review now posted
45 Minutes - review now posted
The Psychic Detective (and those disappeared) - Review now posted.
The Walworth Farce - Review now posted
Tiny Dynamite - Review now posted
Failed States - Review now posted
Hugh Hughes in The Story of a Rabbit - Review now posted
Markus Birdland - Son of a Preacher Man - Review now posted

Other Fringe Review/Comment sites
Three Weeks
One4Review
FringeReview
Sean in the Stalls
Edinburgh Festivals
Onstage Scotland
Edinburgh Festival Punter
Festbitch

"His Dark Materials (Part II)" - July 2007

After the ups and downs that Part I provided, we went into this with a little less enthusiasm than we normally would, for fear of another marathon performance. By the end of the evening Part II had proved to be a little lacking in polish, technically challenged, at times confusing but most of all hugely enjoyable...

From early on it was clear that Part II was going to play up the humour in the piece, and along with some stylish direction and design choices this helped grab the audience from the outset. With a cast change from Part I we were cleverly and effectively re-introduced to our characters as they stepped in and out of spotlights repeating elements of dialogue of Part I which also served as "Previously on..." for those needing a short reminder. These nice touches continued with the flipchart "this is where we are" scene, the well driven on stage 'vehicle', and the radio transmissions.

Sarah Helena Ord and Mark Wilson performed well as "Lyra" and "Will" while Robert Tracey as "Lord Asriel" and Lousie Mackay as "Mrs Coulter" were particularly strong, especially together. The Daemons were all well portrayed but were generally less active and involved than before, and Ashleigh Kate Wilson and Maread Ladyman put in show stealing performances as "Salmakia" and "Tialys". It was also nice to see Fiona Murray and Yanael Queval return to continue their good work as the older "Lyra" and "Will" from Part I.

The supporting cast did well although a few stumbled lines and the aforementioned technical difficulties such as missing/miscued sound effects and a curtain issue at the start of Act II did mean that it wasn't as polished as we've become used to for the Scottish Youth Theatre. While this is understandable given the scale of the production and the ambition of effectively running two shows at once, I'd worry it may detract from the enjoyment the cast feel at the end of a performance.

However, for the audience Part II certainly had the sense of fun that was somewhat missing from Part I, and had a pace that ensured it ran to time, and was sufficient enough to overcome the problems and a hugely anticlimactic final 'confrontation'.

I remain unsure of the wisdom of the SYT decision to undertake such challenging material in such a short timescale. The SYT pieces I've enjoyed most in the past have also tended to be those that the cast have seemed to have a little more involvement in the development of. Although while thinking up suitable alternatives for next year, my best suggestion would be the stage version of "Strictly Ballroom". But whatever they come up with - we'll be there to see it.

London Calling...

We've had a London theatre trip in mind for some time and were waiting for a particular show to really grab our attention. I had been persuaded to combine a Friday evening show with a Saturday matinee of "Wicked" which Waldorf had high on her list of things to see.

A couple of months ago we heard of a planned production of "Othello" at the Donmar Warehouse that seemed to fit the bill perfectly. With Chiwetel Ejiofor cast as 'Othello' and Ewan McGregor as 'Iago' we knew this would be a popular show, so were aware our best chance to get good tickets was to sign up for the Donmar's 'friends' scheme for priority booking and had included that in our budget. Unfortunately we had underestimated just how attractive this would be and a few weeks later when we went to sign up as 'friends' we discovered that due to unprecedented demand they had changed the scheme so that future friends will not receive priority booking for "Othello". It wasn't really practical for us to hold off and take our chances when they go on public sale mid-October as we need to be able to book flights/hotels in advance to get decent prices.

But having mentally taken that first step on the road south we weren't going to be deterred and I soon found another show that was equally persuasive. I'd seen some of the reviews for "Elling" and they had pretty much all been very favourable and the main cast in this "Odd Couple" style story are the excellent John Simm and Adrian Bower of Channel 4's "Teachers". "Elling" proved relatively easy to secure good seats for and at prices that wouldn't break the bank.

"Wicked" on the other hand proved more problematic, and Row R of the stalls is a little further back than I'm used to, and £60 for a ticket is about four times what I'm used to! And that's nothing compared to the price I fear I'm going to have to pay in non-monetary terms for suggesting that my brother-in-law come along with us. I suspect he may never forgive me...

So... look out London in late September, View From The Stalls is heading your way. And who knows, if the trip goes well we may even still try and get lucky with those "Othello" tickets.

Any tips on reasonably priced restaurants/bars gratefully received.

His Dark Materials (Part I) - July 2007

Back in 1997 we saw our third Scottish Youth Theatre Production - it was "Into the Woods" and we really enjoyed it (despite a little confusion over if there was a second half or not). The following day the Glasgow Herald published a review which was far from complimentary, making a number of criticisms of the musical itself and the stage effects that the production had used, but making almost no mention of the performances. Feeling the review to be unfair we sent off a fax that morning to the cast saying how unhappy we had been with the Herald review and expressing our own opinions that the performance had been just as enjoyable as we had seen in previous years. A few days later we received a nice letter from the SYT saying that the cast had been really down after the Herald review and that our fax had been a real pick-me-up for them to hear positive reviews from someone unconnected with the show. I say all this because I'm now going to try my hardest not to produce our own updated version of that disheartening Herald review, while keeping to our policy of reviewing all shows as if professional performances.


Based on the best selling trilogy of novels by Philip Pullman and adapted by Nicholas Wright "His Dark Materials" had been a major hit for the National Theatre in London, so we went into this with high hopes. Okay, lets get the problems out of the way first. At an official run time of 3 hours this was way overlong, and when the actual performance runs a further 30 minutes this is far beyond what is reasonable to expect from an audience. There will always be problems adapting novels for the stage and I'm unsure how tied the SYT was to the existing adaptation, but this could have been halved without losing the central feel and themes involved. As a result the majority of the audience spent at least the last 50 minutes wishing each scene to be the last - not the best state of mind for appreciating some of the show's funniest scenes. To be honest, after the first 30 minutes the show had lost a substantial part of the audience as with a lack of humour and sharp dialogue to generate laughs the audience fell into a mode of sitting in silence, and then later when there were touches of humour the chance to create that kind of mood had been lost. There were nice touches such as the choreographed dance/fight and the marching scenes but much of the enthusiasm and goodwill of the audience was used up long before the end.

I admire the SYT for their ambition, and can appreciate how difficult it would be to turn down the chance to do this show, but it was a bad decision. To keep the attention of audiences for over 6 hours requires a level of entertainment that the material in the current format simply doesn't provide.

There are positive aspects to the production including an excellent realisiation of the daemons with Alasdair Hankinson's "Pantalaimon" and Kendra Williams as "Salcilia" particularly expressive. Kirstie Steele gives a hugely impressive performance as the show-carrying "Lyra" while Andrew Jones as "Roger", Sandy Howie as "Iorek", Katya Allcott as "Master" and Andrew John Illsley as "Will" all provide strong support. There were problems with some of the other performances, including some dialogue being lost to the music (even near the front of the stalls) but for the most part the supporting cast performed well. We were drained watching the show, I can only imagine how the cast feel at the end of it.


At the end of the day, I did enjoy large parts of the show but it simply dragged on for so long that it took any fun out of it. We've got a couple of days to rebuild our enthusiasm before we see Part 2 back at the Citizens, but the high hopes I had for this are now a distant memory.

Suggested Further Reading

As you may have noticed we're having some "quiet time" at the moment - a kind of calm before the storm. I've taken the chance to expand my reading of other theatre blogs, and although we don't really want to add loads of additional links to our sidebar on every page, I guess you could consider this post "suggested further reading".

The Guardian Theatre Blog is usually good value - particularly when Lyn Gardner is writing the articles. Topical discussion and you can expect many familiar faces from other theatre blogs to pop in with comments. Just don't mention public funding of the Arts - I did once and didn't remotely get away with it...

Interval Drinks can be relied on for regular reviews with entertaining commentary but not at the expense of fairness.

I've mentioned Fin Kennedy's blog in our Fringe Preview as we're seeing his "Mehndi Night" in Edinburgh. Sadly Fin has a self imposed 'ban' on providing much more than an outline of his thoughts on the theatre he sees, but the blog is a fascinating insight for those of us with little appreciation of what it is to be a playwright.

Similar insight can be found in the writings of David Eldridge at One Writer and his Dog along with coverage of wider theatre issues.

Andrew Field's The Arcades Project is always worth reading as it's well written and thought provoking.

Sean Raczka's Sean in the Stalls gets to see a huge amount of London theatre, and writes reviews in some depth. He also has the most incredible schedule of reviews planned for the Edinburgh Fringe.

Butts in the Seats can be guaranteed to produce thoughtful posts on theatre management, marketing and audience involvement amongst others. Although US based, many of the issues discussed are just as relevant here.

Mark Shenton over at The Stage is also worth a read on a regular basis, although there's a little too much about Musicals for my taste!

And a few others I'm currently getting to know...
Postcards from the Gods is a new blog but I like what I've seen so far, and I've also recently discovered Persons Unknown. The Scottish Theatre Forum now has its own blog for highlighting current activity and is worth keeping an eye on, as does TAG Theatre which has lots of interesting pieces about TAG and the Citz.

I think that covers most of the theatre based ones I've been reading regularly, but if that isn't enough, I find most of those on the West End Whingers blogroll worth a look. And if anyone knows of a UK theatre blog that's on a par with Alison Croggan's Australian based Theatre Notes, please, please let us know.

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