Hugh Simpson
Mr McFall’s Chamber
★★★★☆ Fulfilling
Mr McFall’s Chamber, one of the most precious and undervalued of Scotland’s musical assets, returned with a programme at the Rose Theatre on the last night of the Fringe that was as varied as it was satisfying.
Robin Ince – Weapons of Empathy
★★★★☆ Uplifting
The unfeigned enthusiasm behind Robin Ince – Weapons of Empathy at the Gilded Balloon at the Museum results in an infectiously crammed hour of constant stimulation and considerable hilarity.
JM Coetzee’s Life & Times of Michael K
★★★★★ Astonishing
JM Coetzee’s Life & Times of Michael K at the Assembly Hall is a dramatic tour de force – a magnificent visual spectacle with genuine emotional range.
Wallace
★★★☆☆ Raw
Edinburgh Little Theatre’s Wallace is a conscious attempt to stir the blood by celebrating a figure from Scottish history.
A Comedy of Tenors
★★★★☆ Ludicrous
The Edinburgh Makars sail through the old-fashioned farce of A Comedy of Tenors at The Royal Scots Club with about as much pace, timing and sheer energy as you could hope.
How To Rob a Millionaire (In Five Easy Steps)
★★★☆☆ Fun
A cleverly constructed plot, discharged at breakneck speed, makes Napier University Drama Society’s How To Rob a Millionaire (In Five Easy Steps) a cheerful and comically satisfying production.
Horizon Showcase: FORGE
★★★★☆ Made of steel
If you imagine that an installation about the Holocaust with live welding and sound design is not for you, think again. FORGE, by Rachel Mars for Horizon Showcase at the Lyceum Workshop, is a visually commanding, thought-provoking piece of art.
Sunday in the Park with George
★★★☆☆ Picturesque
Edinburgh University Footlights’ production of Sunday in the Park with George, at Paradise in Augustines for the final week of the Fringe, is crafted with huge care and the maximum of good intentions.
Julius Caesar Must Die
★★★★☆ Committed
Myths Unbound and New Celts charge through Julius Caesar Must Die at theSpace on the Mile with fire and real purpose.
Lost and Found
★★★★☆ Buzzy
The Counterminers’ Lost and Found at Just the Tonic at The Caves fairly crackles and fizzes with life. Humorous and heartfelt, it heads into some well-trodden territory at times, but always has enough that is novel to make it a joy.
