Scotland Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 4

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: ALEXANDER BENNETT: EMOTIONAL DAREDEVIL, Gilded Balloon Patter House
by Kat Mokrynski - September 13, 2024

Alexander Bennett: Emotional Daredevil is certainly a show that presents reviewers with a challenge - how do you discuss a show that the performer asks you to not spoil in any way? This request is not unreasonable for this particular show, as it does heavily depend on audience members coming in with...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: RIKI LINDHOME: DEAD INSIDE, Pleasance Courtyard
by Kat Mokrynski - September 13, 2024

Riki Lindhome: Dead Inside has Lindhome taking audiences on her infertility journey, a term she hates but still uses. This is not her first time discussing her infertility - she did a television episode about it, which she shows the audience a clip of, giving us a sneak peek at what we’ll be hearing...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: CHARACTER FLAW, Underbelly, Bristo Square
by Kat Mokrynski - September 13, 2024

Character Flaw, written and performed by Philippa Dawson, takes audience members into the mind of Dawson, particularly looking at her experiences with ADHD and queer identity. We begin with Dawson telling us about some of her experiences with embarrassing moments, which then leads into one of the ma...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: THE GREATEST MAGIC SHOW, Assembly George Square Gardens
by Kat Mokrynski - September 13, 2024

The Greatest Magic Show begins with a bang as the incredibly energetic ringmaster, Magnus, bursts on stage, singing a parody of Aladdin’s “Arabian Nights” with lyrics about him travelling the world to find what he considers to be the “greatest show.” Now, he’s here to present all of the great things...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: ALEX KITSON: MUST I PAINT YOU A PICTURE?, Hoots @ Potterrow
by Kat Mokrynski - September 13, 2024

Alex Kitson: Must I Paint You A Picture? is a show with a strong hook - Kitson, who has been told to be more personal in his comedy, has a big secret, and he is going to reveal it by the end of the show. But, before that secret is revealed, we’re going to be treated to some fun standup comedy....

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: IVO GRAHAM: GRAND DESIGNS, Pleasance Courtyard
by Kat Mokrynski - September 06, 2024

Ivo Graham: Grand Designs is a show, according to Graham, made up of lists to deal with the chaos that the comedian has been facing. Throughout the hour we have with him, Graham discusses his love for football, his family and friends and how music has made an impact on his life....

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: REUBEN KAYE: LIVE AND INTIMIDATING, Assembly George Square Gardens
by Kat Mokrynski - September 06, 2024

From the beginning of Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating, you know you are in for something different than your usual Fringe show. This is something that Kaye acknowledges himself as he wanders through the crowd, declaring that he will be starting with the dark stuff, saying that his attitude is lik...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: COME DINE WITH ME: THE MUSICAL, Underbelly, Bristo Square
by Kat Mokrynski - September 06, 2024

Come Dine With Me: The Musical. is an adaptation of the hit television series that has four strangers cook meals for one another, ranking them in order to win the grand prize by the end. The show follows not only the contestants on the show but also those filming it, particularly the producer, Mary,...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: ALEX PRESCOT: I'VE GOT A SONG ABOUT THAT, Laughing Horse @ City Cafe
by Kat Mokrynski - September 06, 2024

Alex Prescot: I’ve Got A Song About That has quite the explanatory title - Prescot, a musical comedian, claims to have a song for every situation, and he is here to prove it through a show. We begin with crowd work, with Prescot asking audience members a range of questions....

Film Review: THE CRITIC
by Cindy Marcolina - September 09, 2024

The Irish writer Brendan Behan described critics as “eunuchs in a harem; they know how it’s done, they’ve seen it done every day, but they’re unable to do it themselves”. Quite a damning characterisation. Anand Tucker introduces an ageing critic, Jimmy Erskine, whose name and ruthlessness are the st...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: HOUSE OF CLEOPATRA, Assembly Checkpoint
by Kat Mokrynski - September 06, 2024

With a book by Laura Kleinbaum, music by Jeff Daye and lyrics by both Kleinbaum and Daye, House of Cleopatra brings audiences into the world of the iconic queen through pop music in a club-like atmosphere. Audience members stand and watch as most of the action takes place on stage, though it does so...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: CAITLIN COOK: THE WRITING ON THE STALL, Pleasance Dome
by Kat Mokrynski - September 04, 2024

Cook is passionate about bathroom graffiti, and she’s not afraid to tell the world about it. Her thesis for her Master’s degree at Oxford was over 300 pages on bathroom stall graffiti, defining it as the oldest form of art and proving it through cave paintings and other examples....

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: LARRY DEAN: DODGER, Monkey Barrel Comedy
by Kat Mokrynski - September 04, 2024

Larry Dean: Dodger begins with Dean joking about what he thinks will be the first thing that people notice about him - his appearance. The audience is introduced to one of the central characters in his story, his nan, with her description of Dean, saying that he looks “left-handed.”...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: MICHELLE BRASIER: LEGACY, Gilded Balloon Patter House
by Kat Mokrynski - September 03, 2024

As soon as you enter the venue for Michelle Brasier: Legacy, you are greeted by Brasier herself, who welcomes you with a smile and asks for your name. She then asks others entering if they have the same name and, if so, what their last name is, hoping to find two that match....

Review: ERIN FARRINGTON: THINK BETTER: MANIFESTING MONEY, REAL ESTATE AND HOT PEOPLE, Pleasance Courtyard
by Kat Mokrynski - September 03, 2024

Erin Farrington-Think Better: Manifesting Money, Real Estate and Hot People is a seminar in which audience members will “learn how to manifest a better life by simply just thinking hard and good.” Led by Farrington, we are going to learn how to properly manifest and become one with the universe, abl...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: KATHLEEN HUGHES: CRYPTID, Gilded Balloon Patter House
by Kat Mokrynski - September 03, 2024

Kathleen Hughes: Cryptid begins with a presentation on cryptids, including Bigfoot, Mothman, Loch Ness Monster and aliens. We learn a bit about each of the different creatures, including their strengths and weaknesses, as well as what they are famous for. We are then introduced to one of the scaries...

Review: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
by Mary Baillie - September 02, 2024

Who doesn't love a fun chick flick? Playwright Frances Poet delivers a playful adaptation of one of the oldest love stories, Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility. If you're expecting a deep, meaningful exploration of intense themes, you might be disappointed. But if you're looking for a feel-good nig...

Review: THE BRENDA LINE, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
by Mary Baillie - September 02, 2024

Harry Mould's play debut zooms in on a fascinating, lesser-known historical tidbit. In the 70s and 80s, UK-based charity The Samaritans ran a telephone line helping those in need. However, these needs extended beyond traditional advice-giving. Known as the 'telephone masturbators', men who asked for...

Review: DIDO AND AENEAS, Pitlochry Festival Theatre
by Mary Baillie - September 02, 2024

In total transparency, I was apprehensive about this one because I’ve always associated opera with being outdated and inaccessible. However, director David Douglas has completely changed my mind....

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: ELEANOR MORTON: HAUNTED HOUSE, Monkey Barrel Comedy
by Kat Mokrynski - September 03, 2024

As you are taking your seats for Eleanor Morton: Haunted House, you are greeted by a spooky voice, reminiscent of Disney’s Haunted Mansion attraction. Some of the disembodied voice’s comments include “There’s something watching you from the darkness . . .” and “Many a tech has gone mad down here,” s...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: SIX CHICK FLICKS . . ., Underbelly, Bristo Square
by Kat Mokrynski - September 03, 2024

Six Chick Flicks, less commonly known by its full name, Six Chick Flicks . . . or a Legally Blonde Pretty Woman Dirty Danced on the Beaches while writing a Notebook on the Titanic, written and performed by Kerry Ipema and KK Apple, takes audiences through the world of some of their favourite chick f...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: PLASTIC JEEZUS: LEAVE THEM WANTING LESS, Underbelly, Bristo Square
by Kat Mokrynski - August 30, 2024

Plastic Jeezus: Leave Them Wanting Less, a musical comedy by Simon and Aaron, is an hour of the duo playing ukuleles and singing, all while keeping a deadpan expression on their face....

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: BISHOPS: FAREWELL BRUCE PORCELAIN, Underbelly, Cowgate
by Kat Mokrynski - August 30, 2024

Walking into Bishops: Farewell Bruce Porcelain, you are greeted by the titular bishops, Chris Curran and Noah Matthews, welcoming you to the funeral of Bruce Porcelain and handing out booklets with the order of service as an organ version of Toto’s “Africa” plays. However, this might not be the kind...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: THE CONDUCTOR, ZOO Playground
by Kat Mokrynski - August 30, 2024

The Conductor is a piece of physical comedy by Amadeo Fusca that tells the story of Salvatore Giovanni, a famous conductor known for his over-the-top performances. Amadeo Fusca has taken the character and fleshed it out into an hour-long show, giving audiences insights into the world of the “world-r...

Review: EDINBURGH 2024: ELLIE MACPHERSON: BABE LINCOLN, Pleasance Courtyard
by Kat Mokrynski - August 30, 2024

Ellie MacPherson: Babe Lincoln begins with MacPherson, dressed as Abraham Lincoln, walking into the room on a pair of stilts, attempting to replicate the height of the iconic historic figure. We then receive a rendition of Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” which is quite the surprise for a cabaret from a hi...