HANG AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE – REVIEW

The beauty of Hang lies in the way it juxtaposes cold and often hilarious bureaucracy with the pain of a human experience. Its mystery is in the fact that we never really discover what that exact human experience was. 

Review: The Weir

I’d heard that Conor McPherson’s play The Weir was a hidden gem of contemporary theatre, with its many awards (Laurence Olivier, Evening Standard and Critics Circle), but I hadn’t read it. Now, I am glad I hadn’t, because it is one of those plays that really comes into its own on stage. Amanda Gaughan’s perfectly paced production is a real treat for the ear and the eye.

Review: The Crucible, EUTC

In 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, women are servants, daughters, wives and very possibly witches. This is the context of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, and one that the Edinburgh University Theatre Company have embraced in their latest production at Bedlam Theatre.

Review: Handbagged by Moira Buffini

Originally conceived in 2010 for Tricycle Theatre‘s Women, Power and Politics Festival, Handbagged was adapted to a full length play by writer Moira Buffini and director Indhu Rubasingham in 2013. It recounts the events of Margaret Thatcher’s eleven year Prime Ministerial run via the weekly meetings she had with HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Review: Tipping the Velvet

When I found out that Tipping the Velvet was opening at the Lyceum Theatre, I immediately wanted to see it. Not because I had read the book or seen the BBC adaptation, not because the successful duo Wade/Turner was at the head of this performance, or because I had to find an event to write about for my first contribution to this blog. The reason I was drawn to seeing this performance was its theme: the coming of age of a young woman in the Victorian period.

Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair 2015

Organised by Edinburgh’s radical independent bookshop, Word Power Books, the Edinburgh Independent Radical Book Fair 2015 is, for all its anti-establishmentism, in danger of becoming an institution. This year it is taking place at Out of the Blue Drill Hall and celebrating its nineteenth year with a lively programme of book launches, screenings, discussions, theatre and of course, the inevitable ceilidh.

Review: Antigone

Ivo van Hove’s greatly anticipated production of Sophocles’ Antigone has been somewhat of a focal point in this year’s Edinburgh International Festival programme. Juliette Binoche stars as the title character, who seeks to bury her brother Polyneikes, against the decree of the king (her uncle), Kreon.

Review: Tutte Contro Verdi by iSIFUERA S.L.

Women in the arts industry can sometimes be required to write, produce, or star in works that undermine or outright insult their gender just to stay in the business. Opera, in particular, can be a very conflicting field for women to work in.

Review: Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man

Matthew Bourne OBE has a reputation in ballet so great that it precedes him even when he’s 3,000 miles away and facing in the opposite direction. He and his productions have accrued a truly incredible number of awards and accolades and it was therefore always unlikely that I was going to give The Car Man a bad review.

Review: Hidden Door Festival, Monday

On Monday I returned to Hidden Door festival for their fourth evening, to what promised to be a great line-up. I was hoping to catch Glasgow band Featherwest at 6pm, but after waiting around for half an hour I gave up and went around exploring the venue some more. I discovered more art on this second visit and particularly worth mentioning was a performance consisting of human bats sampling real bat sounds while having a jam session. This was one of those moments of art-awkwardness where you’re wondering if you’re actually supposed to be there. Great sock-sandal combo, though.