Hugh Simpson
Hello, Dolly!
★★★★☆ Frothy:
Southern Light Opera’s production of Hello, Dolly! at the King’s combines showbiz pizzazz with real emotion to great effect.
The Match Box
★★★☆☆ Slow burn:
Matches are resolutely old-school and capable of being taken for granted, but are just as capable of flaring into life as they always were. Which is pretty much the case with Firebrand’s The Match Box, at the Traverse until Saturday.
Tom at the Farm
★★★★☆ Compelling:
The energy and commitment of Tom at the Farm at the Bedlam are more than enough to overcome some less convincing moments and provide a compellingly dark spectacle.
Elephants
★★★★☆ Accomplished debut:
Some excellent acting distinguishes ‘festive black comedy’ Elephants from new company Threepenny Theatricals upstairs at the Roxy.
The Lover
★★★☆☆ Cool:
There is a bittersweet delicacy to The Lover, the Lyceum’s collaboration with Stellar Quines and Scottish Dance Theatre, that cannot quite compensate for a lack of emotional fire.
Brave Macbeth
★★★★☆ Enjoyably educational:
Brave Macbeth, presented by Gilded Balloon in the Rose Theatre Basement, is a beautifully pitched children’s musical combining the Scottish Play with tunes, humour and shameless messing about.
Shrek The Musical
★★★☆☆ Breezy:
Big, bright and brash, there are plenty of laughs in the new touring production of Shrek the Musical, which is debuting at the Playhouse until the first week of the new year.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Gorgeous:
Shona Reppe’s puppet version of Cinderella at the Traverse until Christmas Eve is a thing of airy, subtle wonder.
How to Disappear
★★★☆☆ Troubling comedy:
Morna Pearson’s new play How to Disappear, which is this year’s ‘alternative’ Traverse Christmas entertainment, definitely has its heart in the right place.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Still Sparkling:
This year’s King’s pantomime – Cinderella – is a more plot-driven and less reliant on effects than many of recent years. It also lacks some of the more interactive elements of panto, but for sheer fun and laughter it scores very highly indeed.
