Author: Joe Christie
Five from Inside
★★★☆☆ Zippy:
A series of enigmatic, eclectic discoveries, Five From Inside’s guerrilla-portraits of isolation expose some of the tensions facing theatre-makers staring down a digital ‘new normal.’
The Nutcracker
★★★★★ A Christmas Cracker:
With enough spectacle and showmanship to keep kids big and small spellbound, Scottish Ballet’s revival of Peter Darrel’s Nutcracker at the Festival Theatre and on tour is the perfect Christmas present.
Reckless
★★☆☆☆ Manic:
Despite inventive direction and committed performances, The Grads struggle to navigate the tonal quagmire of Craig Lucas’ bizarre Christmas caper, Reckless.
Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.
✭✭✭✭✩ Scorching
A guttural call to arms, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again. at the Traverse presents a broiling manifesto for feminist revolution.
Faslane
✭✭✭✭✩ Therapeutic:
Jenna Watt’s affecting exploration of Trident in Faslane may never go nuclear, but her sympathetic approach to a complex issue restores some much-needed humanity to an increasingly polarised body politic.
Macbeth: Without Words.
★★★☆☆ Bold:
Fresh and experimental, the Ludens Ensemble’s reimagining of the Scottish play is an Expressionist fantasia of sound, projection and movement.
Greater Belfast
✭✭✭✭✩ Evocative:
Matt Regan is a true man-of-the-people in Greater Belfast, his moving lyric for a city that could be.
The AniMotion Show: Peace – War
★★☆☆☆ Better in theory:
Boasting plenty of talent but lacking a clear drive, The AniMotion Show is an interesting multimedia experiment in Gilded Balloon at the Museum which gets lost in its own abstractions.
Panti: High Heels in Low Places
✭✭✭✭✩ Sparkling:
Ireland’s reigning monarch sparkles in a performance at the Traverse which is often at odds with its all too civil format.
Crash
★★★☆☆ Alluring:
Andy Duffy’s elusive character study returns to the Traverse this weekend in a maelstrom of stocks, shares and self-loathing.
