Sophie Martin
The Secret Theatre
★★★★☆ Christmas treat
The Secret Theatre may not entirely make up for missing a Christmas trip to the ballet but succeeds impressively on its own terms.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Sparkling:
Scottish Ballet’s Cinderella, back at the Festival Theatre this Christmas, is still a festive treat with huge reserves of charm and elegance.
Edinburgh Gang Show 2018
★★★★☆ Spectacular:
Epic in scope, local in coverage and inclusive in its effect, the 59th Edinburgh Gang Show is a wonderful spectacle.
The Nutcracker
★★★★★ A Christmas Cracker:
With enough spectacle and showmanship to keep kids big and small spellbound, Scottish Ballet’s revival of Peter Darrel’s Nutcracker at the Festival Theatre and on tour is the perfect Christmas present.
Swan Lake
★★★★☆ Love shock:
Bold and surprising, David Dawson has completely reworked Swan Lake for Scottish Ballet, cutting away the fat of its fusty baggage, although he discards some elements of clarity at the same time.
Cinderella
★★★★☆ Enchanting:
Scottish Ballet’s Cinderella is an emotional and visual treat, which lights up and enchants the Festival Theatre’s stage until 31 December.
A Streetcar Named Desire
★★★★★ Perfect balance:
It is with elegant sophistication that A Streetcar Named Desire sweeps onto the stage at the Festival Theatre this week.
Peter Darrell’s The Nutcracker
★★★☆☆ Sporadic magic:
The sumptuous, Victorian backdrop to The Nutcracker is entirely appropriate for a production that has much of the appeal of a huge box of chocolates.
The Crucible with Ten Poems
“★★★★☆ Striking drama”
Scottish Ballet’s latest production is a double bill of two literary works that are alike and yet differ strikingly, creating a production that is surprising and emotional.
Scottish Ballet: Romeo and Juliet
★★★★★ Entrancing drama
The current run of the Scottish Ballet’s revival of Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet may be coming to an end, but it certainly isn’t the end of the line for this timeless classic.
