On stage Mon 23 – Sun 29 Jan 2023
What is on Edinburgh’s stages this week…
Things are getting back to normal after the drought of shows in early January. The pantos are now all behind us – oh yes they are – and the Amateur season is about to begin.
A trio of sold-out shows to note before going any further. Classic comedy The Steamie at the Brunton; Magnetic North’s residency piece at Fruitmarket We Will Hear Angels; and Stolen Elephant Theatre’s Burns night treat at the Traverse, Tam O’Shanter, are all returns only.
The cast of Hey Duggee – The Live Theatre Show: Clarke Joseph-Edwards, Vinnie Monachello, Sarah Palmer, Benedict Hastings, Lunga Anele-Skosana, Jane Crawshaw and Kaidyn Niall Hinds. Pic: James Watkins.
Which still leaves plenty of interest. Anyone who has been in charge of a small child and had recourse to CBeebies over the last nine years will no doubt know the joy of Hey Duggee – who can forget a seven minute show for pre-schoolers which manages to reference Apocalypse Now!
Now the TV show has made it onto the stage and Hey Duggee – the Live Theatre Show is coming to the Festival Theatre for eight daytime performances over the weekend. Reviews from earlier in the tour are very positive and the company clearly know their market, if the reports that plenty of stickers are included in the programme are correct, and the show remains true to the spirit of the original.
Remaining at the the Festival Theatre, there’s one evening performance only of Mind Mangler on Friday 27. This latest from the Goes Wrong stable was a hit during the fringe, with the title character originally created in Magic Goes Wrong by Penn Jillette, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields & Teller.
This is a chance to catch Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer in the flesh, as the “Mind Mangler returns to the stage following a disappointing two-night run at the Luton Holiday Inn conference centre, suite 2b. His new solo spectacular is predicted to spiral into chaos as he attempts to read your mind…”
accomplished
The most notable production of the week is up at the Church Hill Theatre, where the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group is staging Jesus Christ Superstar. Nothing surprising there, in some ways, this a very accomplished company which will no doubt do Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s rock opera complete justice.
What is surprising is that the Really Useful Group, which is in charge of the rights for Superstar, have given Eusog permission to cast the show gender blind. It will be fascinating to see how – or in indeed whether – a non-binary Jesus and female Judas change the emphasis of the story of Christ’s last days.
Finally, the Playhouse sees the return of Jersey Boys, the musical biography of legendary US pop group the Four Seasons, told turn-about by the four members of the group from its birth in New Jersey until Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi fall away and the group becomes Frankie Valli’s own.
The show features a full blast of Four Seasons hits and takes up residency at the Playhouse for two weeks, opening this Tuesday and staying through until Saturday, February 4.
Listings
Click on the title of the show to go to its ticketing site.
The Brunton
Ladywell Way, Musselburgh EH21 6AA. Phone booking: 0131 665 2240
The Steamie
Wed 25 – Sat 28 Jan 2023.
Evenings: 7.30pm (Theatre).
Come and catch up with old friends in this classic piece of Scottish writing by Tony Roper. This brand-new amateur production by The Brunton in association with David Ross and Tommie Travers promises to bring an evening packed full of nostalgia, laughter, and heart. Book here.
Church Hill Theatre
33 Morningside Road, EH10 4DR.
Jesus Christ, Superstar (EUSOG)
Tue 24 – Sat 28 Jan 2023.
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat Mat: 2.30pm.
EUSOG presents a new interpretation of this ancient tale of love, betrayal, and tragedy; the gender-neutral casting retells the story for the modern audience and reflects the talent and variety of Edinburgh’s local theatre scene. Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Hey Duggee – The Live Theatre Show
Fri 27 – Sun 29 Jan 2023
Fri 10am, 2pm; Sat/Sun: 10am, 1pm, 3.30pm.
Featuring Duggee, the Squirrels and many more of your favourite characters! Betty wants to make costumes, Happy wants to sing, Tag wants to make music, Norrie wants to dance, Roly wants jelly and they all want you to join them at the Clubhouse. Book here.
Mind Mangler
Fri 27 Jan 2023
Evenings: 7.30pm.
The latest of the Goes Wrong franchise. Join the the ‘Mind Mangler’ as he returns to the stage following a disappointing two-night run at the Luton Holiday Inn conference centre, suite 2b. His new solo spectacular is predicted to spiral into chaos as he attempts to read your mind… Book here.
Fruitmarket
45 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DF
We Will Hear the Angels
Fri 27/Sat 28 Jan 2023
Fri: 7pm, Sat: 6pm.
Magnetic North take up residency at Fruitmarket’s Warehouse space. Inspired by Hitchcock’s Rear Window and the last scene of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya, this new play uses music, text and movement to explore the state of melancholy and the strange power of sad music to uplift us. Book here .
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Jersey Boys
Tue 24 Jan – Sat 4 February 2023
Mon- Sat: 7.30pm; Thurs, Sat Mat: 2.30pm
They were just four guys from Jersey, until they sang their very first note. They had a sound nobody had ever heard … and the radio just couldn’t get enough of. But while their harmonies were perfect on stage, off stage it was a very different story – a story that has made them an international sensation all over again. Book here .
Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404
Tam O’Shanter, Tales & Whisky
Wed 25 Jan 2023
Two show: 3pm & 8pm (Traverse 2)
A comic celebration of the ‘Gothic’ poems of Robert Burns from Edinburgh’s Stolen Elephant Theatre. Includes Tam O’ Shanter, Death and Dr Hornbook and Address to the Deil. Douglas McQueen Hunter and Douglas Caird (‘The Picts’ and ‘The Court of Equity’) will also be on stage performing several Burns’ songs. Book here.
