THEATRE
■ THE EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. Fame – The Musical Tue 22–Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm (Wed & Sat 2.30pm also). £10–£37.50. The smash-hit dance explosion based on the 1980s film about New York students trying to break into the arts. 51 Shades of Maggie Fri 2 May, 7.30pm. £21. See Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow.
■ EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. Puppet Animation Festival Thu 17–Sat 19 Apr, times vary. Prices vary. The UK’s largest and longest established annual performing arts event for children pulls some strings to present a feast of puppet-based entertainment, working with local authorities, organisations and venues throughout Scotland. The Secret Life of Suitcases Thu 17 Apr. See Kids listings. The Man Who Planted Trees Fri 18 Apr, 2pm. £8 (£6). Multi-sensory theatrical adaptation of Jean Giono’s environmental classic. Ages 7+. Cinderella Sat 19 Apr, 2pm. £8. An award-winning children’s puppet show, created, designed and performed by Shona Reppe. Swan Lake Tue 22–Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm (Thu & Sat 2.30pm also). £17– £43.50. Matthew Bourne’s unmissable take on the most famous ballet in the classical canon. Tiger Tale Mon 5 May, 7pm. Tue 6 & Wed 7 May, 10.30am & 1.30pm. £10 (family £8 each). Poppy and her parent’s world is turned upside down when a tiger comes to stay. Ages 7+. Part of Imaginate Festival. Saltbush Thu 8–Mon 12 May. See Kids listings. Takin’ Over the Asylum Thu 15–Sat 17 May, 7.30pm. £9. An ageing wannabe DJ and double-glazing salesman revive an old hospital radio station at a mental institution. Presented by Leitheatre. ■ GRASSMARKET COMMUNITY PROJECT 86 Candlemaker Row, (grassmarketcommunityproject.co.uk) Northern Streams Fri 25 & Sat 26 Apr, times vary. Prices vary. A celebration of Nordic and British traditional music, song and dance bringing together top and emerging artists from Scandinavia, Scotland and beyond to Edinburgh on an annual basis.
■ KING’S THEATRE 2 Leven Street, 529 6000. A Midsummer Night’s Dream Thu 17–Sat 19 Apr, 2pm & 7.30pm (Fri 7.30pm only). £14–£29.50. Propeller’s production of Shakespeare’s magical play. Scooby-Doo and the Mystery of the Pyramid Thu 24 Apr, 6.30pm. Fri 25 Apr, 7pm. Sat 26 & Sun 27 Apr, 1pm & 4.30pm. £20.50. Live stage show featuring the classic duo. Ages 2+ Brassed Off Tue 29 Apr–Sat 3 May, 7.30pm (Wed & Sat 2.30pm also). £14–£29.50. Musical adaptation of the popular film. Uncle Varick Wed 7–Sat 10 May, 7.30pm (Thu & Sat 2.30pm also). £16.50–£25. See Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow. Happy Days: A New Musical Mon 12–Sat 17 May, 7.30pm (Wed & Sat 2.30pm also). £18–£34.50. New show based on the popular TV series and written by its creator Garry Marshall. .
■ NORTH EDINBURGH ARTS CENTRE 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Grandad and Me Tue 6–Mon 12 May (not Thu & Fri). See Kids listings. Tetris Thu 8–Sat 10 May. See Kids listings.
■ OUR DYNAMIC EARTH Holyrood Road, 550 7800. Colin Cloud: Forensic Mind 94 THE LIST 17 Apr–15 May 2014
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DEAR SCOTLAND Take 20 of Scotland’s top writers (including Louise Welsh, Rob Drummond, David Greig and Zinnie Harris) and ask them to write a monologue based on one of 20 portraits: the National Theatre of Scotland’s collaboration with the Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a direct and clear mix of performance and visual art. Examining national and cultural identity, Dear Scotland is a guided tour with a difference: figures from all walks of Scottish life get to talk back. Part of the NTS’ broader project to collate the feelings of the nation in this referendum year, Dear Scotland sees drama taking a walk in new locations. ■ Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, Thu 24 Apr–Sat 3 May.
Reader Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm. £15. Real- life forensic scientist Colin Cloud finds the guiltiest person in the room by using his magnificent skills of deduction, as well as memorising huge amounts of info and profiling a murderer. See Around Town, page 38. ■ THE PLEASANCE 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. Jonathan Kay – Know One’s Fool Fri 25 Apr, 7.30pm. £7. Theatre performance from Jonathan Kay, who’s an expert ‘fool’.
■ ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE Grindlay Street, 248 4848.
✽ Pressure Thu 1–Sat 24 May, 7.45pm (Sat & Wed 2.30pm also). £12–£27.50 (previews £10). The true story behind the planning of D-Day, one of the defining moments in ending World War II. Co-production with Chichester Festival Theatre, written by David Haig and directed by John Dove.
■ SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY 1 Queen Street, 624 6200.
✽ Dear Scotland Thu 24 Apr–Sat 3 May (not Wed), 7.30pm. £15 (£10).
See preview, above. Untaught to Shine Thu 8 May, 7.30pm. Fri 9 May, 2pm & 7.30pm. £8 (£6). Short site-specific performances by emerging Scottish theatre artists, inspired by portraits of women. Stellar Quines Theatre Company presents.
■ SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Wojtek the Bear Thu 24–Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm. £10 (£8). The extraordinary story of the loveable Polish soldier bear who fought at Monte Cassino and died in Edinburgh Zoo. Crows in the Capital Mon 5 May, 3pm. £8 (£6). Shape shifting through the characters of another era, Three Wee Crows take the audience on a journey back into the mists of time, accompanied by live fiddle music. Part of TradFest. Rachel Newton: Changeling Wed 7 May, 7.30pm. £9 (£6). Rachel Newton of The Shee and the Emily Portman Trio
takes her audience on a journey across the borders and back again. Based on a Celtic Connections New Voices commission. TradFest. The Secret Life of Suitcases Sat 10 May. See Kids listings. ■ SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTRE 117 Nicolson Street, 667 0484. A True Tall Tale Thu 8–Sat 10 May. See Kids listings.
■ SUMMERHALL 1 Summerhall, 0845 874 3001.
✽ Invisible Empire Sat 26 & Sun 27 Apr, 7.30pm. £11 (£9). See Platform,
Glasgow. Rehearsal Room 23 Wed 30 Apr & Thu 1 May, 7.30pm. £8 (£6). New writing from Stellar Quines Theatre Company.
■ TEVIOT Bristo Square, 650 4673. The Armagh Rhymers Sun 4 May, 4pm. £8 (£5). Celebrated folk theatre ensemble with a unique blend of mask, music, drama and dance. TradFest.
■ TRAVERSE THEATRE Cambridge Street, 228 1404. A Play, a Pie and a Pint: The Last Bloom Thu 17–Sat 19 Apr, 1pm & 7pm. £12. Heartwarming drama about two nursing home residents battling each other for dominance. A Play, a Pie and a Pint: Skeleton Wumman Tue 22–Sat 26 Apr, 1pm & 7pm. £12. See Òran Mór, Glasgow. Factor 9 Thu 24–Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm. £15.50 (£8–£12.50). A bloody medical horror story, told via multimedia by Dogstar. A Play, a Pie and a Pint: The Queen Of Lucky People Tue 29 Apr–Sat 3 May, 1pm. £12. See Òran Mór, Glasgow. The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler Tue 29 Apr–Sat 3 May, 7.30pm (Sat 2.30pm also). £8–£15.50. See Citizens Theatre, Glasgow.
✽ The Forbidden Experiment Thu 1–Sat 3 May, 8pm. £15.50 (£12.50).
See The Arches, Glasgow. The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer Tue 6 May, 10.15am & 1.15pm. Wed 7 May, 10.45am
& 1.30pm. Thu 8 May, 7pm. Fri 9 May, 7.15pm. Sat 10 May, noon & 3pm. £10 (family £8 each). See Platform, Glasgow. O Snap Tue 6 May &. Wed 7 May. See Kids listings. Not Now Bernard Wed 7–Sat 10 May (not Fri). See Kids listings. Up to Speed Thu 8–Mon 12 May (not Fri). See Kids listings. Manxmouse Fri 9–Mon 12 May (not Sat). See Kids listings. ■ VARIOUS VENUES Imaginate Festival Mon 5–Mon 12 May. See Kids listings.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES
■ THE BRUNTON Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. The Secret Life of Suitcases Sat 19 Apr. See Kids listings. A Night of Theatre with the Brunton Players Fri 25 Apr, 7.30pm. £6.75. Community theatre group The Brunton Players present a showcase of theatre classics, featuring excerpts from Shakespeare, Wilde, Shaw and others. Formby Wed 30 Apr, 7.30pm. £11.75 (£9.75; children £6.75). Ewan Wardrop’s one-man musical show in which he pays tribute to the life and humour of George Formby. Wojtek the Bear Sat 3 May, 7.30pm. £11.75 (£9.75; under 18s £6.75). See Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh. Get Up and Tie Your Fingers Thu 8 & Fri 9 May, 7.30pm. £11.75 (£9.75; under 18s £6.75). Set against the backdrop of the loss of the Eyemouth fishing fleet in the great storm of 1881, this is an uplifting tale of three women coping with death and dealing with guilt. The Vagina Monologues Fri 9 & Sat 10 May, 7.30pm. £14 (£10.50). Eve Ensler’s celebration of female sexuality. Benefit for East Lothian Women’s Rape & Sexual Abuse Centre and Women’s Aid East & Mid Lothian. The Trials of Oscar Wilde Sat 10 May, 7.30pm. £11.75 (£9.75; children £6.75). European Arts Theatre Company presents a drama based on trial transcripts and the writer’s own words, tracing his rapid downfall. Me & My Girl Wed 14–Sat 17 May, 7.30pm. £10 (£9). The popular musical about a cockney wide-boy who discovers he’s the new Earl of Hereford.
■ DUNDEE REP Tay Square, Dundee, 01382 223530. Cars and Boys Thu 17–Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm (Thu & Sat 2.30pm also). £17 (£7–14). Moving portrait of a seemingly indomitable woman battling with her mortality. Reality on Stage Wed 30 Apr, 7pm. £4. Seven schools from across the North-East of Scotland present their short devised pieces of theatre on what ‘reality’ means to them. Chalk Farm Thu 1 May, 7.30pm. £tbc. Kieran Hurley and AJ Taudevin join forces with highly acclaimed ThickSkin in this explosive new play set during the 2011 London riots. ■ MACROBERT University of Stirling, Stirling, 01786 466666. Let’s Dance Festival Thu 17 Apr–Sat 21 Jun. See Kids listings. The Adventures of Robin Hood Sat 19 Apr. See Kids listings. Too Many Penguins? Fri 25 & Sat 26 Apr. See Kids listings. The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler Fri 25 Apr, 7.30pm. £12–£13.50 (students £5). See Citizens Theatre, Glasgow. I, Elizabeth Sat 26 Apr, 7.30pm. £11 (£10). Rebecca Vaughan uses Elizabeth’s own words to tell the story of the queen’s struggle to reconcile the desires of womanhood with the duties of sovereignty. Not Now Bernard Sun 11 May. See Kids listings.