Author: Tom Ralphs
The Fifth Elephant
★★★☆☆ Slipped discworld
Strawmoddie Theatre return to the Pleasance with Stephen Briggs adaptation of The Fifth Elephant, ten years since the death of author Terry Pratchett and ten years since they were established.
r/Conspiracy
★★★★☆ Believable conspiracy
r/Conspiracy explores the allure of conspiracy theories and the addictiveness of Reddit. Ella Hällgren’s one woman show, which she also performs, has a full Fringe run at Gilded Balloon at Appleton Tower.
Play On
★★★☆☆ Shakespearean escape
Erin Boulter’s Play On for Edinburgh-based Resilience Theatre Movement follows what is something of a theme at this year’s Fringe: estranged siblings forced back into each other’s company following the death of a parent.
Hi, Mum!
★★★★☆ A delightful death
Making very effective use of a small stage in an intimate venue, Pierrot Productions’ show Hi, Mum! takes the audience into a room in an undertakers where the body of Alba and Elspeth Brae’s mother lies wrapped in a shroud.
Waiting in Love
★★★☆☆ Waiting too long
Waiting in Love, Moreland Productions Fringe debut written by Scott Young, follows Alan, a would be writer and actual stoner, through a year that begins with him breaking up with his partner and ends with him still not over her.
The Bush
★★★★☆ Relevant
Based on true events, The Bush, written & performed by Alice Mary Cooper recreates 1970s Australia as a group of housewives fight a David and Goliath style campaign to prevent Kelly’s Bush, an area of land in Sydney, from being turned into a housing and shopping development.
The Dahlia Files
★★★★☆ Compelling performance
The Dahlia Files, from the Hey, Thanks! Theatre Collective, draws on an infamous unsolved murder to explore the commercialisation of violence and question the motives behind the makers, and viewers, of real-life murder podcasts.
Sins of the Mother
★★★☆☆ Family demons
To have one member of a family make a Faustian pact with Satan may be considered a misfortune. To have a father, a son and an ex-daughter-in-law all entering into deals with the devil suggests that something that has gone well beyond your typical dysfunctional domestic drama.
Quiz
★★★★☆ Strong
Quiz, from Leitheatre at the Church Hill Theatre to Saturday, is a cleverly staged revival of James Graham’s play about the Who Wants to be a Millionaire? “Coughing Major” scandal.
Rocky Horror Show
★★★★☆ Still Rocking
While the new US President was busy signing an order making it clear what he thinks about the trans community, a sweet transvestite transexual from Transylvania was taking a different approach as Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show returned to the Playhouse with its customary mix of swagger, glitz, innuendo and audience call backs.
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