Reviews
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.
Hairspray
★★★★☆ Energetic:
The Balerno Theatre Company go back to Baltimore in the swinging 60s for their uplifting and energetic production of Hairspray at the Church Hill Theatre to Saturday.
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.
An Edinburgh Christmas Carol
★★★☆☆ Comedy overshadows pathos:
An Edinburgh Christmas Carol, the Lyceum’s Christmas re-invention of Dickens, is a full-on comic display that is undoubtedly pleasing despite apparently missing some important points.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Oh yes it is…. Terrific!
It’s Cinderella with a touch of The Greatest Showman at this year’s fun-filled Brunton-produced panto, running through the festive season until January.
Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas!
★★★☆☆ Festive:
The touring version of Dr Seuss’ How The Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical is a suitably frothy confection for the upcoming festivities; not particularly full of nutrition but oddly irresistible all the same.
A West End Winter Wonderland
★★★★★ Christmas Cracker:
Christmas came early in aid of a great cause at St Giles’ Cathedral on Friday night.
Into the Woods
★★★★☆ Shady:
There’s laughter, edged with more than little darkness, to the Eusog’s splendid and convincing production of Into The Woods playing the Pleasance theatre to Saturday.
On Golden Pond
★★★☆☆ Crystal clear:
Leitheatre’s production of On Golden Pond at the Church Hill is a warm and emotional evocation of family struggles and satisfactions that rarely ignites but is performed with diligence and grace.
Edinburgh Gang Show 2019
★★★★☆ Feast of dance:
The lungs and the legs of the over 100 main cast of the Edinburgh Gang Show are made to work overtime in this year’s show, at the King’s to Saturday, which is a veritable cornucopia of song and dance.
