Author: Hugh Simpson
Anno Domino
★★★★☆ Perfectly Pitched:
Alan Ayckbourn has taken a play ‘off the back burner’ for audio streaming by the Stephen Joseph Theatre, where he was artistic director for many years. It has all of the hallmarks of classic Ayckbourn – razor-sharp observation, subtle skewering of preconceptions, and exploration of murky hidden depths.
Allan Stewart’s Big Big Variety Show
★★★★☆ Comfortable
There is a reassuring feel to Allan Stewart’s Big Big Variety Show at the King’s until Saturday.
Mrs Puntila and Her Man Matti
★★☆☆☆ Flat:
Mrs Puntila and Her Man Matti at the Lyceum is full of energy and has no shortage of comic potential. However, the end result is puzzlingly uninvolving.
The Hollow
★★★☆☆ Stately:
Huge care and attention has gone into the staging of Threepenny Theatricals’ version of Agatha Christie’s The Hollow. That care, however, does mean that there is a definite absence of energy in a production that never outstays its welcome but frequently threatens to.
Ten Times Table
★★★☆☆ Solid:
There is a pleasing solidity to the touring production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Ten Times Table at the King’s all week, but it suffers from a shortage of inspiration.
Oor Wullie
★★★☆☆ Sparky:
Oor Wullie, the touring musical from Selladoor, Dundee Rep and DC Thomson has moments of comic brilliance. However, it never quite coheres into a wholly convincing story.
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)
★★★★☆ Effervescent:
Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), presented by the Lyceum with the Tron, Glasgow and Blood of the Young, is a constantly surprising and endlessly entertaining affair.
The Lion King
★★★★☆ Visual Feast:
Visually arresting, the touring production of The Lion King which is booked into the Playhouse until March 2020, wants for nothing in terms of spectacle or budget.
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
★★★★☆ Spectacular:
Goldilocks And The Three Bears, this year’s King’s pantomime, is an odd creation in many ways, but it retains enough of the tried and tested formulas to convince – to say nothing of good old-fashioned variety stardust.
Strange Tales
★★★☆☆ Cultural collision:
There are certainly moments of magic in Strange Tales, the Christmas co-production between Grid Iron and the Traverse, but they are too few and far between.
