Brian James O’Sullivan
PPP: Oscar
★★★★☆ Perfectly formed
A funny, touching and tremendously acted musical, Oscar by Brian James O’Sullivan heralds the welcome return of Oran Mor’s A Play, A Pie and A Pint to the Traverse.
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.
PPP: Chic Murray: A Funny Place For A Window
★★★★☆ Fitting tribute:
As you might expect, there are plenty of laughs in Chic Murray: A Funny Place For A Window. What is less expected is a touching and beautifully acted love story.
PPP: McGonagall’s Chronicles
★★★★☆ Cheerful complexity:
Gary McNair’s McGonagall’s Chronicles, the first in the new series of A Play, A Pie and a Pint at the Traverse, is a winningly daffy confection. While it may not treat its subject entirely fairly, it does at least show him unusual sympathy.
The Arabian Nights
★★★★☆ Ravishing:
Beautiful to look at and clever enough to know when to be stupid, The Arabian Nights at the Lyceum is genuine family Christmas entertainment.
The Winter’s Tale
★★★☆☆ Layered:
Lucid and engaging, the Lyceum’s Scottish-set production of The Winter’s Tale has much to recommend it, even if it does not quite convince.
The View From Castle Rock by Alice Munro
✭✭✭✭✩ Stately:
There is a classy and accomplished feel to The View from Castle Rock, the Book Festival’s collaboration with Stellar Quines.