Lewis den Hertog
One Day: The Musical
★★★★☆ Accomplished
One Day: The Musical, from the Royal Lyceum and Melting Pot, is a hugely ambitious production that has a correspondingly large impact, even with the odd problem in execution.
Make It Happen (EIF)
★★★★☆ Salutary reminder
Make It Happen at the Festival Theatre has all of the trappings of an Event with a capital E. Even if it doesn’t quite justify that status, it is impressive.
The Mountaintop
★★★★☆ Vital
The Lyceum’s production of The Mountaintop is an enthralling, beautifully performed examination of history and humanity.
Wild Rose
★★★★★ Triumphant
New musical Wild Rose is the last show of David Greig’s eight years as Artistic Director of the Lyceum and it is an absolute triumph.
When Prophecy Fails
★★★★★ Purposeful
Adapted from a 1954 American study into the social psychology and cognitive dissonance of a UFO religion called the Seekers, When Prophecy Fails is an exploration of the community and humanity behind what could easily be perceived as cult.
The Outrun (EIF)
★★★★☆ Grandeur
The Outrun, from the International Festival and the Lyceum at the Church Hill Theatre for the whole three weeks, is a hugely ambitious, beautifully staged and extremely impressive production.
Escaped Alone
★★★★☆ Environmental dystopia
Following its Scottish premiere at The Tron earlier this month Escaped Alone, Caryl Churchill’s dystopian play that had its UK premiere at the Royal Court in 2016, comes to the Traverse for five performances only.
Dracula: Mina’s Reckoning
★★★★☆ Angry
You can’t keep a good vampire down for long, and the story of Dracula keeps coming back to the stage, with its depictions of transgressive behaviour making it a constant candidate for reinvention.
Concerned Others
★★★★☆ Profound impact
Tortoise in a Nutshell’s new verbatim documentary, Concerned Others, at Summerhall all Fringe, uses puppets and animation rather than actors to bring its script to life.
The Enemy
★★★☆☆ Fussy
The Enemy, Kieran Hurley’s updating of Ibsen for The National Theatre of Scotland at the King’s this week, is an uneven proposition. Much of the production is timely and compelling, and the acting is excellent, but other elements cohere less convincingly.
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