New Celts Productions
Afterparty
★★★★☆ Lairy
Packed with expletives and off-colour observations, Afterparty from New Celts Productions and F-Bomb Theatre at the theSpace’s Triplex theatre pulls no punches in its humorous but bitter-sweet story set in small town Scotland.
Saving Mr Ultimate
★★★☆☆ Believably Fragile
Saving Mr Ultimate, New Celts Production and Extra Arca’s tale of superheroes, grief and letting go, mixes the serious and the humorous effectively in creating a world that is both believable and ever-so-slightly superhuman.
Bull
★★★☆☆ Insufficiently horrid:
There is a nasty drive to Bull at theSpace on the Mile that goes a long way towards convincing. Mike Bartlett’s play about workplace bullying and the relentless, socially Darwinian corporate struggle is presented by New Celts and Cold Pizza in a recognisably Scottish setting.
In Her Corner
★★★★☆ Hard-hitting:
In Her Corner, Tearin’ The Tartan and New Celts’ production at theSpace on the Mile, has a fresh, visceral quality and genuine drive. If there are a couple of false notes struck, it is nevertheless very impressive.
The 27 Club
★★★☆☆ Decidedly downbeat:
The 27 Club, by Rebel Pigeon and New Celts at theSpace on the Mile, is an exploration of loss whose frustrations are balanced by some real insight.
Parasites
★★★★☆ Raw emotion:
There is brutality, but also considerable compassion, in Seesome Theatre and New Celts’ Parasites at theSpace on the Mile.
Arrivals
★★★☆☆ Initially intriguing:
Arrivals, by Twelve Twelve and New Celts at theSpace on the Mile, is an odd beast. It is probably fair to describe Dougal Thomson’s script as two plays; one that works very well, and one that is less successful.
Level Up
★★★★☆ Comic foreboding:
Level Up by Full Breakfast and New Celts at theSpace on the Mile is a believable portrait of social control made enjoyable by some warmly human performances and pin-sharp direction.
EdFringe Theatre – Youth & Student companies
Edinburgh’s Youth and Student theatre companies at EdFringe:
As the fringe continues to grow, so does the input from Edinburgh-based companies. This year there are an unprecedented 93 different productions in the theatre section of the Fringe programme alone.
Breathing Corpses
★★★☆☆ Morbid curiosity:
Breathing Corpses, by Split Brick and New Celts at TheSpace on the Mile, leaves a nasty taste in the mouth at times.
