Liz Lochhead
Book Festival Round-Up – The Second Half
Farewell to Art College and Nick Barley
The 40th anniversary Edinburgh International Book Festival, and the last of Nick Barley’s 14 years as director, concluded with its usual intriguing mix of one-off events, writes Hugh Simpson.
Perfect Days
★★☆☆☆ Antenatal
A quarter of a century on from the premiere of Liz Lochhead’s witty, fast-paced comedy Perfect Days, Leitheatre find that the truths which underpin the laughs still hold, but struggle somewhat to explore them.
Book Festival Round-up Part 2
More theatre-interests at the Book fest
The last week of the Book Festival featured the usual quota of theatrical presentations, ‘theatre-adjacent’ events, and other writers so entertaining as to need no apology for being featured here.
Medea (EIF)
★★★★☆ Towering
Medea, Liz Lochhead’s triumphant retelling of Euripides has returned to Edinburgh. The new production, at the Hub as part of the International Festival, boasts a Medea from Adura Onashile that will surely be every bit as legendary as Maureen Beattie was first time round.
EIF Postpones Launch
Changed date now cancelled, due to Covid-19
The Edinburgh International Festival has postponed the launch of the 2020 Festival, which had already been changed to an online only event on Wednesday 18 March.
Mary Queen of Scots got her Head Chopped Off
★★★★☆ Clear bright corbie:
The EUTC bring a strong understanding and sense of purpose to this production of Liz Lochhead’s great 1987 play Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, at the Bedlam to Saturday.
Tartuffe
★★★★☆ Great Scots:
The fundamental comic energy, pace and Scots snap Leitheatre give to Tartuffe at St Serf’s is very welcome, making for a refreshing, breezy production.
Good Things
★★★☆☆ Heartfelt:
There are plenty of Good Things in the Makars’ production of Liz Lochhead’s play of that name, in a production that is solid if not spectacular.
Thon Man Moliere
★★★★☆ Excellent performances:
Beautifully staged and excellently acted, the Lyceum’s premiere of Liz Lochhead’s Thon Man Moliere is a charming and largely compelling production.
Thon Woman Lochhead
World premiere for new Lochhead at Lyceum:
The world premiere of Thon Man Moliere, Liz Lochhead’s play about the life and times of the playwright Moliere, opens at the Lyceum this week.
