Allan Wilson
frisson (in a bar)
★★★☆☆ Warm and caring
Production Lines’ frisson (in a bar) continues to look at the lives of three of the four people that were first seen via Zoom in last week’s frisson (online) and introduces three new characters.
frisson (online)
★★★☆☆ Cunning exploration
frisson (online) by Production Lines is “a coming out story in two parts”, with the first told online over Zoom this week, and the second due to be performed live in the Leith Arches next week.
40/40
★★★★☆ Joyful inspiration
Two Destination Language’s 40/40, at the Fruitmarket Gallery as part of the Manipulate festival before a mini tour, is full of optimism and fun, providing a truly joyful inspiration.
Birdie and Arthropoda
Manipulate returns for 2023
The Manipulate Festival returns for a 10 day event, making use of a variety of venues to showcase Scottish and International visual theatre, puppetry and animated film, for adult audiences in Edinburgh. Allan Wilson reviews two shows from the opening weekend.
Once Upon a Snowstorm
★★★★☆ Gently Engaging
Once Upon a Snowstorm at the Traverse is a gentle, snowy tale based on Richard Johnson’s picture book, adapted and directed by Jo Timmins, that totally engages its target audience of children aged 5 – 8 and their parents.
4Play
★★★☆☆ Comedy capers
Comedy is definitely a priority as the four members of Edinburgh playwright collective 4Play bring four pieces of new work to the Traverse stage, much to the delight of a capacity first night audience.
Cell Outs
★★★★☆ Searing
Cell Outs from Glasshouse Theatre follows two young, idealistic graduates who join a training scheme offering a postgraduate qualification and work experience in rehabilitation, hoping to have a positive impact and make a real change to the lives of prisoners.
Red Alert – Cancer
★★★☆☆ Real life
In Red Alert – Cancer, Allan Wilson tells of his red-headed family’s entanglement with cancer in a performance that feels as close to documentary as it does theatre, at the Zoo Playground to Saturday 13 August.
