FESTIVAL THEATRE | Day Planner
For full length versions of these reviews see list.co.uk/festival
5 Out Of 10 Men ●●●●●At times, the production can feel weighed down by its style, but is most effective when it backs up aesthetics with facts, or by focusing on the narrative of our wounded man. At the end, the audience are invited to gently hold him: a union of bodies against a terrible plight. (Alex Bloodworth) theSpace on Niddry Street, 510 2383, until 27 Aug (not 14), 4.55pm, £9 (£7). Ada / Ava by Manual Cinema ●●●●● Ada/Ava is a delicate story of an elderly woman struggling to come to terms with the death of her twin sister, but the show falls rather awkwardly between poignant family drama and macabre chiller, with an uneven pacing that sometimes overemphasises the grotesquerie. (David Kettle) Underbelly, Potterrow, 0844 545 8252, until 29 Aug (not 16), 4pm, £12–£13 (£11–£12). Ash ●●●●● It might not seem right to have an hilarious show focused on the habit of smoking, but thanks to sparky dialogue, that enjoyment is not overshadowed by the intense message. The cast are committed and clearly talented, bringing this whirlwind of a show to its inevitable conclusion with a massive, emotional thunder blow. (Alex Eades) ZOO, 662 6892, until 19 Aug, 8pm, £10 (£8). Bubble Revolution ●●●●● Kasia Lech is a charismatic performer, even if the show’s pacing is a little breathless at times, but the production’s various elements – video, a box of props, even an authentic Polish sweetie offered on the way in – don’t quite hang together with as much meaning as they should. Still, it’s a memorable rel ection on the capitalist chaos of post-communism. (David Kettle) New Town Theatre, 220 0143, until 28 Aug (not 16), 1.45pm, £9–£10 (£7.50–£8.50). The Club ●●●●● The Club rattles on with the beat and energy of an early 90s rave. The big brash performances are magnetic, sparking a wonderful chemistry between the two hopeless characters who are consumed by madness, hatred and love. It is dizzying, confusing, exhilarating and utterly intoxicating. (Alex Eades) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 5pm, £12.50 (£10.50). A Common Man: The Bridge That Tom Built ●●●●● This tour-de-force performance, driven by a craftily penned script, builds an impression of a man whose historical signii cance is matched by his integrity, wit, and fundamental kind-heartedness. Radiating wit and warmth in equal measure, Dominic Allen’s Tom emerges steadfast from the slanderous repute that dogged him during his life, delivering a show that enthrals, inspires, and delights from start to i nish. (Jordan Shaw) C nova, until 29 Aug (not 20 & 21, 25, 27), 8.15pm, £10.50–£12.50 (£8.50–£10.50). Daffodils (A Play with Songs) ●●●●● A sweet, entertaining New Zealand-set love story inspired by playwright Rochelle Bright’s own parents. Daffodils’ two charming leads and the live on-stage band sing their way through decades’ worth of Kiwi hits, though the one most famous to Edinburgh audiences will be Crowded House’s ‘Fall At Your Feet’. (Yasmin Sulaiman) Traverse, 228 1404, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), times vary, £20.50 (£15.50). The Elephant Man ●●●●● The story of John Merrick (or Joseph Merrick, as he was actually named), is a powerful true life story of human perseverance in the face of adversity. While Canny Creatures have affection for the material, the production, though it has some heartening moments, shies too far from greatness to be memorable. (Alex Eades) Gilded Balloon Teviot, 622 6552, until 29 Aug, 1.15pm, £10.50–£13.00 (£8–£10). How Is Uncle John? ●●●●● Sex trafi cking is one of the key social 94 THE LIST FESTIVAL 11–18 Aug 2016
Wonderman
problems of 2016, but it’s also one that’s often shied away from by dramatists for obvious reasons. With little action on stage and most of the revelation of the characters done through monologues, How Is Uncle John? feels more like a radio drama than a theatre piece. (Eddie Harrison) Assembly Hall, 623 3030, until 29 Aug (not 16), 3pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). How (Not) To Live in Suburbia ●●●●● What’s a creative girl to do when she i nds herself isolated from her fellow artists, doomed to wander the shadowy realms of suburbia? Annie Siddons may indeed have found a way to rise above her problems in Twickenham, but there’s a distinct lack of the kind of granular detail to make her revival translate in terms of laughs. (Eddie Harrison) Summerhall, 560 1581, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 4.50pm, £12 (£6). The Interference ●●●●● Malibu’s Pepperdine University is a Christian establishment with a strong arts faculty and established Scottish exchange links. This combination breeds high-quality, socially responsive work with a sense of youthful verve. This year’s The Interference, a new piece by Lynda Radley on the subject of campus rape, continues this tradition in engrossing style. (David Pollock) C, 0845 260 1234, until 16 Aug, 3.45pm, £9.50–£11.50 (£7.50–£8.50). A Man Standing ●●●●● In a personal and revealing production, Théâtre de L’Ancre have produced a piece of theatre that has the potential to linger in the memory with a true life story of loss and hope in the face of nothingness. A rewarding experience, the show is an awesome example of the power of the human spirit. (Alex Eades) Summerhall, 560 1581, until 14 Aug, 5.25pm, £12 (£8). Nicole Henriksen is Makin It Rain ●●●●● The raw honesty of the script is more shocking than the nudity:
Henriksen’s genius is to navigate the moral complexities of her career and dei ne herself both through, and in spite of, it. Moving, sensitive and witty, Makin’ It Rain justii es the artist and her use of heavy material in a sprightly manner. (Gareth K Vile) Underbelly Cowgate, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug (not 16), 5.50pm, £10–£11 (£9–£10). People of The Eye ●●●●● Erin Siobhan Hutching’s meditation on an unquiet world, where deaf and hard of hearing people are marginalised or forced to adapt, makes some profound statements, and has some hilarious moments, but at times feels episodic and a little messy structurally. It’s worth sticking with, though, as it eventually settles into a more measured pace. (Lorna Irvine) Northern Stage at Summerhall, 560 1581, until 27 Aug (not 17, 24), 1pm £11 (£9). The Princes’ Quest ●●●●● While the production is a bit uneven, the writing is promising – Earnest’s i nal speech about Freddie is especially powerful – and allows for moments of good ensemble acting. Overall The Princes’ Quest is an entertaining take on a genre too often set in stone. (Adeline Amar) C cubed, 0845 260 1234, until 20 Aug, 7.20pm, £7.50–£9.50 (£5.50–£7.50). Screw Your Courage! (or The Bloody Crown!) ●●●●● In this frugally produced one-woman show, Brooklyn-based actress Klahr Thorsen shares the story of her lifelong obsession with the role of Lady Macbeth. Thorsen is an engaging and warm performer, and in the brief excerpts of Shakespearean monologue it is clear to see the fruits of her heavy investment in the exploration of Lady Macbeth’s psyche. (Irina Glinski) Greenside @ Infirmary Street, 618 0758, until 27 Aug (not 14, 21), 1.50pm, £10 (£6). A Series of Unfortunate Breakups ●●●●● A Series of Unfortunate Breakups is an accessible comedy that simply exudes youth. It riffs through recurrent break-up themes like starting university and cheating boyfriends with a typical set of youngsters at its heart: the good-looking dickhead, the nerd, the jock and the try-hard. (Adam Bloodworth) C nova, 0845 260 1234, until 29 Aug (not 16), £8.50–£10.50 (£6.50–£8.50). Skrimshanks ●●●●● Although Skrimshanks begins promisingly, with the two bouffons building up characters who draw on i ne English traditions of theatrical pomposity, the emphasis on audience engagement and improvisation leaves the duo sadly exposed. Far from using the bouffon’s licence to challenge and provoke, Skrimshanks meanders and falters. (Gareth K Vile) Assembly George Square Theatre, until 28 Aug (not 16, 22), 10.30pm, £10–£12. Swansong ●●●●● As the realisation dawns that they are the only four survivors after civilisation is wiped out, the characters in Swansong plan new rules for a future world, deciding to change the meaning of derogatory swear words to great comic effect and constructing delightfully unhelpful explanations of the things they miss in a boggled attempt to help future generations. (Rowena McIntosh) Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, until 29 Aug (not 16), 5pm, £8.50–£11 (£7.50–£10). Wonderman ●●●●● The young i ghter pilot Roald Dahl lies badly injured. Each of his hallucinations develops into a different short story, trotting convincingly freely around the globe. This peculiar world is done justice by this original and bizarre production, which lands just on the right side of hysteria. (Irina Glinski) Underbelly Potterrow, 0844 545 8252, until 28 Aug (not 15, 22), 6.05pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11).