Author: Hugh Simpson
The Nutcracker
★★★★☆ Seasonal feast
Scottish Ballet’s much-loved version of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is back at the Festival Theatre over Christmas. This time round, it seems reinvigorated and remarkably fresh.
Death Drop
★★★☆☆ Premature pantomime
Death Drop, from Tuck Shop and Trafalgar Theatre Productions at the King’s until Saturday, is an uneven affair – camp, garish and ultimately entertaining.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
★☆☆☆☆ Unfathomable
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow from Tilted Wig productions, touring to the King’s until Saturday, may just about pass muster for a post-Hallowe’en frightfest due to its occasional horrific moments.
Life is a Dream
★★★★★ Glorious
The Lyceum’s Life is a Dream is a necessary and exquisite reminder of the possibilities of live theatre. Originally planned to end the 2019/20 season, this production has emerged into a completely changed world.
Who Are You?
★★★☆☆ Timely
Who Are You? – the last in the series of audio presentations from the Lyceum and Pitlochry Festival Theatre – is a strange piece both in atmosphere and in execution. Philosophically weighty but artistically less convincing, it has an initial impact that it cannot sustain.
The Enemy
★★★☆☆ Fussy
The Enemy, Kieran Hurley’s updating of Ibsen for The National Theatre of Scotland at the King’s this week, is an uneven proposition. Much of the production is timely and compelling, and the acting is excellent, but other elements cohere less convincingly.
The Woman in Black
★★★★☆ Still so spooky
The Woman in Black – touring to the King’s yet again this week – retains all of its mysterious power to entrance and terrify.
Looking Good Dead
★★☆☆☆ Unfortunate
Subtle as a bulldozer and only sporadically gripping, Looking Good Dead, which is at the King’s all week, works on one level as undemanding entertainment, but is not exactly guaranteed to have the crowds flocking back to the theatres.
PPP: A New Life (A Mini Musical)
★★★☆☆ Emotional
A New Life (A Mini Musical) at the Traverse every lunchtime this week is certainly not ‘mini’ in its emotional scope or its ambition.
Groan Ups
★★★☆☆ Flat
While there is real energy and commitment in Mischief Theatre’s Groan Ups at the King’s, it is in the service of a script that probably doesn’t deserve such efforts.
