John Byrne
Tennis Elbow
★★★★☆ Linguistic luxury
Thoroughly enjoyable on its own terms, Tennis Elbow – the latest offering from Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the Lyceum’s Soundstage – is a flawed but very funny piece.
Lyceum’s home theatre experience
Sound Stage offers “at home theatre experience”
A new play by Mark Ravenhill is to open Sound Stage, the Lyceum’s latest experimental online theatre season of eight new premieres from leading Scottish and British playwrights, presented in an immersive audio theatre setting.
Cuttin’ A Rug
✭✭✭✭✩ Cuts like mustard:
Fizzing with energy and wisecracking brio, the Citizens Theatre’s production of John Byrne’s Cuttin’ A Rug – at the King’s till Saturday – also has a careful and deep humanity.
Primrose pretensions
ETA double bill pricks cultural pretensions:
Edinburgh Theatre Arts are sending up Scottish cultural pretensions this week with a double bill of plays by contemporary playwrights from opposite ends of the spectrum.
The Deliverance
✭✭✭✭✩ Fertile soil:
Involving, dark, human poetry is in great supply in The Deliverance at Assembly Roxy. Stellar Quines’ presentation of the third part of the story that began with The List is a success in its own right, as well as a worthy successor to what has gone before.
The Slab Boys
✭✭✭✭✩ Hyper-real humour:
Funny, well performed and intelligent, the revival of John Byrne’s hugely popular The Slab Boys at the King’s gets a great deal right but falls frustratingly short of being a definitive production.
Three Sisters
✭✭✭✭✩ Emotional realism:
John Byrne’s adaptation of Three Sisters at the King’s is poignant, funny, tragic and hugely satisfying.
Jason Donovan’s Speech for King’s
Slab Boys and King’s Speech announced for 2015:
John Byrne’s Slab Boys and a new production of The King’s Speech featuring Jason Donovan have been announced as part of the Edinburgh King’s 2015 drama season.
The Carousel
✭✭✭✭✩ Stunningly performed
Impressive production values and impeccable acting are on display in The Carousel. Stellar Quines’ production at Traverse 2 of the second part of Jennifer Tremblay’s trilogy succeeds on its own terms but does not entirely fulfil the huge burden of expectations placed upon it.
Uncle Varick
✭✭✩✩✩ Off-groove
They say the best man always wins. It isn’t true in real life and it certainly isn’t the case if you’re in an Anton Chekhov play. Not even in Uncle Varick, John Byrne’s updating of Uncle Vanya, at the King’s all week.
