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late Patrick Swayze’s popular film. See review, right.
■ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. The Snowman Thu 13–Sun 30 Dec, times vary. Magical festive family production based on the eternally popular book by Raymond Briggs. Scottish Ballet: The Nutcracker Tue 8, Wed 9 & Fri 11 Jan, 7.30pm. Thu 10 & Sat 12 Jan, 2pm & 7.30pm. £14–£38 (£10–£35). See Theatre Royal, Glasgow. ■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. Mother Goose Until Sun 20 Jan, times vary. £10–£27.50 (£8–£25.50; children £6–£23.50). The annual King’s Theatre Pantomime starring Grant Stott, Andy Gray and Allan Stuart in the tale of the goose who lays golden eggs. See review, page 131.
■ NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS CENTRE 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. The Christmas Quangle Wangle Thu 13 & Fri 14 Dec 10am & 1pm. Sat 15 Dec 10.30am & 1.30pm. Licketyspit and North Edinburgh Arts present a festive take on the nonsense poems of Edward Lear. Suitable for ages 3–12.
■ OCEAN TERMINAL BIG TOP Ocean Terminal Site, Leith Moscow State Circus Wed 19 Dec–Sun 6 Jan, times vary. £10–£29 (£7–£22). The internationally-acclaimed circus returns with a Christmas extravaganza, promising ever more impressive feats of physical ingenuity and daring. Phone 07721 565558 for direct ticket booking.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848. Cinderella Until Sat 29 Dec (not 25 Dec), times vary. £9–£24. Johnny McKnight has written this new version of the the fairy tale for this year’s Royal Lyceum Christmas show, promising a modern twist on the story with a good sprinkling of slapstick to keep families happy. See review, page 132.
✽A Taste of Honey Fri 18 Jan–Sat 9 Feb, times vary. £10–£29. The
late Shelagh Delaney’s classic play gets a new production, with debate about social deprivation played out amid the tenements, housing estates and bingo halls of the north-west of England. See preview, page 133.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Lapin Wants to See Santa Fri 14 Dec 11am & 3pm. A festive story as the cheeky wee bilingual bunny invites Père Noël himself round for hot chocolate. English performance with French keywords throughout, suitable for ages 3+. Snow White & the 7 Delinquents Sun 16–Tue 18 Dec, 7pm. £7.50 (£4.50). Ultra-modern version of the fairytale, with a wicked step-mother bothering her magic mirror app and a Prince Charming desperate to be Heat’s Torso of the Week. Presented by Strange Town. Meet You for the Bells Sun 16–Tue 18 Dec, 9pm. £7.50 (£4.50). Strange Town present Alan Gordon’s new play taking place at Edinburgh Hogmanay, focused on ringing out the old and welcoming in the new. Twinkle Bell Sat 22 Dec 11am, 12.30pm & 2.30pm. Sun 23 Dec 11am & 2.30pm. A magical Christmas show with puppets, music and song telling the story of poor Twinkle Bell the fairy, who followed a snowflake out the window and got lost. Suitable for ages 3–6. Burns: Rough Cut Fri 18 Jan, 7.30– 8.30pm. £10 (£8). A rough and ready Burns is brought into the modern day in this adaptation of Donald Smith’s novel
THEATRE
K C A J E B B O R I
REVIEW THE ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE APPRECIATION SOCIETY Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 22 Dec ●●●●●
Doyle is the father of arch-rationalist Sherlock Holmes yet he also believed fervently in the supernatural. Peepolykus play these two opposing worldviews against each other in a feel-good show that mixes broad comedy strokes with narrative tomfoolery and a little bit of chin-stroking, to delightful effect.
Written by Steven Canny and John Nicholson and
performed as a three-hander by Nicholson, Javier Marzan and Gabriel Quigley (all excellent, Quigley’s harrassed academic is note-perfect) the action switches between the scripted play and enacted episodes from Doyle’s life and Sherlock’s adventures, with plenty of stock comedy tropes – slapstick, actors swapping roles, unrequited love – and enough knowing meta-narrative nods. Holmes’ stock is undergoing a meteoric resurgence
thanks to some high-profile screen adaptations and, while TACDAS benefits from some familiarity with Doyle’s output, prior knowlegde is not essential. Rather, the reality of Holmes and his creator is so fascinating that too much trivia can distract from Peepolykus’ comedy onslaught. Painting from a wide palette of comedic tricks, combined with engaging onstage chemistry, the result is immensely funny.
TACDAS is another attempt at a Christmassy
show that isn’t a pantomime and isn’t for children. In a genre that’s usually all about delivering the warm, nondenominational fuzzies, the production’s treatment of the issue of charlatan mediums preying on the emotionally vulnerable seems discordant and threatens to derail the pacing. This show is at its best – a hilarious, quirky, jubilant best – when the fun train is allowed to run full steam ahead without any pesky questions about deeper meaning. (Suzanne Black)
Between Ourselves, a show combining film and theatre. Ages 14+.
■ SUMMERHALL 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001. Anatomy #3: Pantomime for the End of Time Fri 14 Dec, 7.30–11pm. £6. Experimental theatre night ANATOMY takes a sideways look at pantomime, with a genre-defying scratch show/cabaret night/celebration of performance. ■ TRAVERSE @ SUMMERHALL Summerhall, 1 Summerhall, 228 1404. Red Note: The End of the World (for one night only) Fri 21 Dec, 9pm. £6–£15.50. There’s a rumour going around that the Mayans predicted that the world would end in December 2012, and nothing sharpens the senses like a whiff of impending apocalypse, as celebrated in this one-off music-theatre presentation. Featuring music by Gareth Williams, John Harris, Hanna Tuulikki, Colin Broom and Ludwig van Beethoven and writing by Oliver Emmanuel. Andy Arnold directs. Places are strictly limited.
■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Too Many Penguins? Until Sat 22 Dec (not Sun & Mon) 10.30am & 2pm. Frozen Charlotte Productions present a Christmas show that packs fun, laughs, entertainment and penguins into the mix. Suitable for ages 0–3. The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society Until Sat 22 Dec (not Sun & Mon), times vary. £15.50–£17.50 (£6–£13.50). Traverse Artistic Director teams up with physical comedy specialists Peepolykus and writers Steven Canny and John Nicholson to present a riotous Christmas show about the creator of Sherlock Holmes and the collision of spiritualism and rationalism. See review, page 135.
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13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013 THE LIST 135