Philip Pinsky
A War of Two Halves
★★★★★ Welcome replay:
A War of Two Halves, whose devastating emotion and clever staging impressed in 2018, is back again and it is every bit as powerful.
A War of Two Halves
★★★★★ Devastating emotion:
The sincerity, emotional directness and beautiful staging of A War of Two Halves deserves to transcend sporting allegiances. This Is My Story and Nonsense Room’s site-specific performance does what great theatre should, making a specific time and place seem immediate and accessible.
The Crucible
★★★☆☆ Clear focus:
Exceptional clarity characterises the Lyceum’s production of The Crucible, whose focus on small details reaps rewards but does so at the expense of dramatic impact.
The Deliverance
✭✭✭✭✩ Fertile soil:
Involving, dark, human poetry is in great supply in The Deliverance at Assembly Roxy. Stellar Quines’ presentation of the third part of the story that began with The List is a success in its own right, as well as a worthy successor to what has gone before.
The Driver’s Seat
✭✭✭✩✩ Fury and fear:
The National Theatre of Scotland’s adaptation of Muriel Spark’s The Driver’s Seat has a righteous fury, combined with a drive born out of cleverly harnessed technology and a tight ensemble.
Letters Home
✭✭✭✭✩ Power of communication
Letters Home combines inventiveness, variety, sophisticated writing and sheer visual magnetism.
The Carousel
✭✭✭✭✩ Stunningly performed
Impressive production values and impeccable acting are on display in The Carousel. Stellar Quines’ production at Traverse 2 of the second part of Jennifer Tremblay’s trilogy succeeds on its own terms but does not entirely fulfil the huge burden of expectations placed upon it.
Pressure
★★★★☆ Atmospheric Pressure:
Involving, emotional and well-crafted, David Haig’s new play about the background to D-Day provides a successful finale to the current Lyceum season.
Union – Review
✭✭✭✩✩ In rude health
Bawdy, hugely ambitious and almost wilfully uneven, the Lyceum’s world premiere of Union should be applauded for its intentions even if the results are not wholly successful.
Review – Dark Road
✭✭✭✩✩ Intriguing but imperfect:
An excellent cast and some intriguing ideas – which are not all fully realised – mark out the Dark Road of Ian Rankin and Mark Thomson’s collaboration, which runs at the Lyceum until October 19.
