Gilded Rose

Apr 20 2017 | By More

Gilded Balloon programmes Rose Theatre for #EdFringe

The new Rose Theatre, Peter Schaufuss £1.8M conversion project from the former Charlotte Methodist Chapel, will be programmed by the Gilded Balloon for this year’s fringe.

Local musicals company Captivate Theatre will have a major presence in the Rose Street venue, following the news that its former home, the Famous Spiegeltent, is no longer welcome in St Andrew Square.

Karen (right) and Katy Koren (Gilded Balloon directors) with Peter Schaufuss (Rose Theatre director). Pic: David Cheskin.

Gilded Balloon will be programming 40 shows in the Rose Theatre during the fringe, while retaining its venues at the Museum of Scotland and Teviot Row on Bristo Square. Schaufuss will run and programme the venue outside the fringe.

The major headliner for the Rose Theatre is Craig Ferguson, lured back to the fringe after 24 years by Gilded Balloon’s founder and artistic director Karen Koren.

The former host of the Late Late Show, who debuted at the fringe with his Bing Hitler character, will be broadcasting his new two hour show for Sirius XM Satellite Radio live from the venue.

Ferguson commented: “I finally made enough money in America so I can afford to work for Karen again. As long it’s only two weeks and she lets me sell snacks at intermission.”

The production will run 10.30pm to 1am for ten nights. Ferguson added on Twitter: “I am very very happy about this. What better place for a reformed alky than Rose St. during the festival”.

Double Feature

For the main evening production in the venue, King’s Theatre panto-favourites Grant Stott and Andy Gray will be following up on their previous fringe success with a new play: Double Feature.

Clearing out their former local cinema seems like the dream job for two old pals, played by Stott and Gray. But in the process of stirring memories and recreating scenes from their favourite movies, their shared fanaticism for film soon has to make way for bigger issues that have long remained unsolved.

Captivate will be staging seven shows in the venue. These include new productions of Annie and Sweeney Todd, together with the return of their productions of Oliver! and Les Miserables. They will also have two Shakespeare-based musicals and a concert production

Captivate Theatre’s Tommie Travers told Æ: “We are absolutely thrilled to feature in Gilded Balloon’s 2017 Fringe programme and cannot wait to perform in their exciting new venue on Rose Street.

“We feel honoured to be joining forces with such a prodigious company and are delighted to be part of such a wonderful and high profile line-up, including acts such as Craig Ferguson.”

The Rose Theatre will have four theatre spaces for the fringe. The main hall will have 300 seats, although it can be configured to take more, while the basement will hold a 115-seat space. There will also be a new studio space with 100 seats and an attic room with 50 seats.

ENDS

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