James McCutcheon
Alice in Pantoland
★★★★☆ Wonderful fun
Alice in Pantoland, from Balerno Theatre Company at the Church Hill, is a traditional pantomime experience crammed full of delights.
Cinderella The Panto
★★★★☆ Melodious
Balerno Theatre Company’s Christmas show at the Church Hill is a treat for all ages. Cinderella The Panto is stuffed full of tunes, features some pleasingly old-school pantomime business and is performed with a great deal of heart.
Legally Blonde – The Musical
★★★★☆ Energetic
Allegro’s version of Legally Blonde – The Musical at the Church Hill Theatre until Saturday is bold, brash and full of impact.
Made in Dagenham
★★★★☆ Up-standing:
As the political stew bubbles over the edges of the Westminster cauldron, Allegro’s big and bold production of Made in Dagenham reminds us of a time when politics was a lot more simple – and the issues were even more fundamental.
All Shook Up
★★★☆☆ Energetic:
There is a spirited tunefulness to LYAMC’s All Shook Up that makes it cheerfully compelling despite occasional raggedness.
Rock of Ages
★★★☆☆ Codpiece rock-out:
Big and silly, much like the hair, Allegro’s production of retro Eighties soft-rock musical Rock of Ages at the Church Hill knows how to hit the highs with ease.
Sunshine on Leith
★★★☆☆ Sunny intervals:
Tuneful and committed, Allegro’s production of Sunshine on Leith at the Church Hill is almost torpedoed by some peculiar staging choices.
Seussical the Musical
★★★☆☆ Wordy up:
Solidly entertaining if a little unfettered around the edges, LYAMC’s take on Seussical the Musical gets the tunes humming around the head and acrobatics sweeping across the stage.
Honk!
“★★★☆☆ Paddling hard”
Boasting a succession of well-choreographed ensemble moments, LYAMC’s production of Honk!, at the Church Hill Theatre to Saturday, also hits strong notes on the vocal front.
Prophecy
★★☆☆☆ Future potential
Raw around the edges and somewhat uneven in its storytelling, new musical Prophecy which has its world premiere run at St Brides all this week, nevertheless succeeds in bringing its hero, the Brahan Seer, to life.
