Laura Ennor

The Unthanks, Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow, Tue 24 Jan

Sisters deliver inventive tribute to Robert Wyatt and Antony Hegarty

3 Feb 2012

This Celtic Connections show was the last planned outing for what Rachel Unthank, with inordinate modesty, refers to as ‘our self-indulgent experiment’ – that is, the Northumbrian folk collective’s double tribute to the songs of Robert Wyatt and Antony…

An Appointment with the Wicker Man

Robin Hardy’s 1973 classic to become the play-within-the-play for new NTS production

1 Feb 2012

‘There are many films that people would love to see adapted cleanly onto the stage,’ says Greg Hemphill, and if current trends are anything to go by, he looks to be right, ‘but when we discussed it with Vicky [Featherstone, National Theatre of Scotland…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

Hot 100 2011 - No. 49 to 1

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

The Hot 100 is the definitive list of Scottish creative talent. From fashion designers to performance artists, everyone who has made a sizeable splash in 2011 has a place in this countdown. It’s for people who’ve created a buzz, but it’s also about…

Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard - The Third Door, Edinburgh, Wed 26 Oct 2011

Near two-hour set pulls disparate parts into satisfying whole

15 Nov 2011

For this, one of the first gigs at the refreshed and renamed Third Door venue (formerly Medina, and now boasting a beefier new sound system), big personalities and hearts on sleeves are very much the order of the day. Opener Viking Moses is one Brendon…

Director Stewart Laing on The Salon Project

Immersive theatre project hopes to recreate the intellectual gatherings of late 19th century Paris

21 Sep 2011

Show us the man or woman who isn’t even a little excited by the thought of dressing up and becoming someone else for the night, and we’ll show you a liar. Now best known as a director, but originally a designer, Untitled Projects’ director Stewart Laing…

Best Coast and Spectrals - Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Tue 30 Aug

1 Sep 2011

It’s easy to see why Best Coast take Spectrals on tour with them every time they come to Europe: the Leeds-based band’s sound mirrors that of their LA buddies in almost every way – up to the bit where the singer is an insouciant lad from Heckmondwick…

Medea

Modern-edged take let down by cast

23 Aug 2011

Critical Mass theatre’s modern-edged take on Euripides’ story of the woman who killed her children never quite delivers the emotional clout promised by its heart-wrenching storyline. Stella Duffy’s script is gutsy and raw, but delivered unimaginatively…

Devotion

Incredible performances hindered by weak story

23 Aug 2011

Insofar as it attempts to convey the depth of feeling engendered by the traditions and solemn ceremony of the bullfight, Devotion just about succeeds, powered by two stunningly intense performances from its male leads. However its story is too slight…

John Robins: Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven

Prosaic anecdotes told with gusto and irresistible affability

23 Aug 2011

For a show purportedly about religion, it’s remarkably light on ideas. The professed theme is a launch pad for a collection of faintly prosaic anecdotes, told with gusto and an irresistible affability. Robins is a fluent storyteller, and after puffing…

The Boy with Tape on his Face

Line up early for a mime with universal appeal

19 Aug 2011

The Boy has become a victim of his own success. A word to the wise before we lose ourselves to unabashed gushing: if you want to see this show, turn up early and be prepared to queue, for someone here has made a grave error in their choice of space. For…

Crunch

Cunning manipulation of attitudes to money

17 Aug 2011

A theatrical performance acutely parodying motivational lectures, or an actual motivational lecture? Gary McNair is playing with his audience, and they’re probably not the type who thought they were susceptible to such things. They probably think…

The Segue Sisters in … Jailbirds

Flippant harmonious fun behind bars

17 Aug 2011

It’s utterly incidental to the show, but let’s run through the story anyway: the three Segue Sisters have been convicted of song theft and sent down to a prison that’s a cross between Chicago’s sexed-up cell blocks and a Disney dungeon. As the trio of…

The Three Englishmen: Optimists

Straightforward and inspired hour of sketches

16 Aug 2011

In keeping with its title, Optimists is fun and cheerful, with some crackingly original ideas behind the pacy mix of wordplay, gentle pop culture ribbing, off-the-wall surrealism and well-executed musical comedy. The four (yup, four) play to their…

The Tour Guide

A tour guide going off the rails on real Edinburgh tour bus

16 Aug 2011

A real Edinburgh tour bus, a real leaflet with a route map and all the sights, a real MacTours uniform, and an actor playing a tour guide who’s going off the rails. But the ripe potential of having an audience who are literally captive – not to mention…

The Star Child

Sweet piece of storytelling theatre

16 Aug 2011

Fairytale fun and a cautionary but light tale about the dangers of vanity from nimble young ensemble Tell Tale Theatre, who have created a sweet piece of storytelling theatre, marred only by the odd bit of stilted delivery. In a small space they…

Frimston and Rowett

A collection of decent comic coceits that overstay their welcome

15 Aug 2011

Almost every sketch this duo bring out has a great play on words or a pleasingly silly concept at its heart, but far too often they pass the point where the sketch should naturally end. Trying to make quantity do the work of quality where their beloved…

Claudia O’Doherty

Refreshingly different character comedy performance

14 Aug 2011

As the proud presenter of a 26-part documentary about soil erosion that has inexplicably (to her mind, at least) failed to get a television deal, O’Doherty is a master of is-she-or-isn’t-she-in-character tension. Coming across as a lovably moonstruck…

Late Night Gimp Fight!

Fast-paced sketches are more smutty than obscene

12 Aug 2011

Turn up to a show like this at such a late hour and you should know what you’re letting yourself in for. Despite the establishment whiff that hangs around an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination, if you can’t stomach jokes about bumming, incest and the Ku…

Oedipus by Steven Berkoff (after Sophocles)

Archly stylised production from a contrary master

11 Aug 2011

Steven Berkoff has written, directed and taken a key role in this quasi-modern retelling of one of Greek mythology’s most notorious plots, and it’s got his contrary stamp all over it. An odd and stylised production set around a huge, long, Last…

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase

Children’s adaptation that’s hard to follow

11 Aug 2011

Joan Aiken’s 1963 novel gets an adaptation that is admirable in its aim to offer children something with a grown-up, unpatronising feel, but falls well short of the mark in its execution. The story is one of high adventure: feisty young Bonnie and her…

I Hope My Heart Goes First

Remarkable young company delves into matters of the heart

8 Aug 2011

If you want to know what it feels like to watch this show, you could do worse than to listen to the song from whose lyrics it takes its title – Cardiff indie-poppers Los Campesinos’ ‘We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed’ – a four-minute scrunched-up ball of…

The Table

Puppet show silliness backed up by serious skill

8 Aug 2011

Blind Summit are a company of puppetry geeks, with the triptych of pieces that make up The Table, they’ve made a show that lovingly reflects that. They’re also a company with a great sense of fun, and happily this hour-and-a-bit more than embodies that…

The Chronicles of Bitter and Twisted

Charming and cheeky fairy tale sequel

8 Aug 2011

A sequel to the classic outsider tale, these chronicles are best suited to the suggested 7+ age range – those younger or more sensitive are likely to find the matters at hand (bullying and exclusion) upsetting, and the several concurrent threads of the…

Roar

Stylish, sexy romp is frequently hilarious but not without emotion

8 Aug 2011

If you want your ‘sexy romp’ boxes ticked, this is the place to do it. Dumbshow’s Roar is a stylish, exuberant tale of gin-soaked 17th-century wenches led by a ‘Moll Cutpurse’ channelling Beyoncé in full-on she-lion mode. Bawdy, slick and…