By Michael Coveney
Tweet

Who's Rocking In Edinburgh?

The interval chatter is all about going, or not going, to Edinburgh next week. For some reason, virtually the entire staff of The Stage newspaper were at the opening last night of Betwixt! in the Trafalgar Studios, and one of the reviewing team, Gerald Berkowitz, tells me he's absconding to Auld Reekie for four weeks.

That's serious away time. You have a lot of socks and underpants to sort out for that trip, Gerry, and you always hope and pray that nothing is too wrong with the flat when you turn up so that you can dive straight in on the shows. The first big ask is the Traverse opening weekend, and I shall be ready for that first thing next Friday morning, I hope.

People are already muttering about the International Festival being less interesting than the fringe and, once again, it's simply not true. All through the reigns of John Drummond and Brian McMaster, critics moaned about the drama programme. And poor old Jonathan Mills, launching his fifth fest nine days after the fringe orgy has kicked off, has been accused of having nothing worth seeing, or too little to bother about.

Of course, if you mention the Chinese ballet, or Shakespeare in Korean, you get that all too predictable raised eyebrow reaction, followed by a stifled guffaw and wordly-wise glazed look of indifference. But the programme looks fascinating to me, and after several days of non-stop new plays and comedy capers I shall relish the prospect of concerts, and ballet and indeed Shakespeare in Korean.

Of course the weather is always a crucial factor. No city is more fun to run around than Edinburgh, but when it rains it's beastly. There's quite a lot of cloud and light rain forecast over the next few days, so let's hope the skies clear and the sun blazes forth thereafter.

I've made my schedule, so that the rest of the Whatsonstage.com reviewing team can pile in behind me and take their pick of the rest of the programme. I have forty-five shows down for my eleven days, though I shall be darting back for the big EIF weekend of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, adapted from a Japanese novel, and Tim Supple's two-part One Thousand and One Nights.

Simon Callow will be there again, playing a transvestite in something called Tuesdays at Tesco, though the billboards at the Trafalgar Studios were still proclaiming his presence there last night in Being Shakespeare, a show which finished last Saturday.

And while I'm on the subject of the ATG theatres, and reported recently on the revised, and improved, wine charging policy at the Duke of York's, I'm sorry to say that the Trafalgar Studios is offering a modest glass for £5.10 and a larger (but not much) one for £6.10. It's too expensive. A woman next to me at the bar ordered up four large whites, and got stung for £24.40. She was also buying ice-cream for two young boys. I'd be surprised if she had her bus fare home after that.

She probably hadn't had to pay for her tickets, as the smaller of the Trafalgar Studios was packed to the gills with friends and well-wishers for Betwixt! with a sprinkling of critics. As the pianist George Dyer took his place, someone even exclaimed, "It's gorgeous George!"

And during the show, Steven Webb (Stephen Fry's partner in real life) who, in a certain light and, with a tip of the head, can resemble a young Gene Kelly, greeted an excitable enthusiast in the front row by extending a "royal" hand for an adoring kiss or nibble.

You don't get this sort of thing going on at the National, not yet anyway, although I've been receiving reports that some of James Corden's flirting with the audience in One Man, Two Guvnors has been stretched to the limit.

Liberty Hall is obviously open for business, and there's something of that carnivalesque spirit abroad during the Edinburgh Festival, all part of the feeding frenzy and the sense of anticipation I fully expect to experience once more on the train north next Thursday.

All I have to do before then is about one million things, try and catch Ian McKellen in The Syndicate at Chichester, the new production by Sean Mathias of a Neapolitan black comedy by Eduardo De Filippo that is already earmarked for the West End before Christmas, get some dentistry that's gone wrong sorted out pronto and buy a new all-weather jacket that doesn't make me look like a farm hand or a care worker.

- by Michael Coveney

Any opinions expressed above do not represent the view of Whatsonstage.com nor any of its staff or contributors beyond the bylined author.

Related Content

Booking Tickets & Show Listings
	Betwixt! Listing Page

Other Posts By Michael Coveney
	Michael Coveney: Tales from New York in Kinky Boots - 17th May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Finsbury hails its local Park Theatre opening - 15th May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Hooray for Halifax and Carrie's ENO debut - 13th May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: All change at Trafalgar, Liverpool and Finsbury Park - 10th May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Critics come full Circle in centenary bash - 8th May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: High old time with High Tide in Halesworth - 7th May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Hytner steams on, Sondheim scintillates - 2nd May 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Theatre queens and Paris low-life - 30th Apr 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Olivier big winners and Stratford long runners - 29th Apr 2013 blog
	Michael Coveney: Maria Miller basks in Ruth's Olympic glory - 26th Apr 2013 blog
	More...
Internal Links
	Betwixt! Becomes Be-Tweet for One Night Only??? - 15th Aug 2011 gossip
	Hampton's Mother Revived at Trafalgar, Melling Stars - 3rd Aug 2011 news
	1st Night Photos: Betwixt! Cast Charm at Trafalgar - 29th Jul 2011 photos
	Betwixt! - 29th Jul 2011 reviews
	Opening: Beauty Queen & Fela! Again, Betwixt!, Dames - 25th Jul 2011 news
	Cast: Gaumond Is WWRY's New Galileo, Duncan Betwixt - 4th Jul 2011 news
	Ellen Greene Crosses Atlantic as Betwixt! Triplets - 16th Jun 2011 news
	Photos: Gray, Webb & Salter in Betwixt! Cast - 1st Jun 2011 photos
	Musicals Cast: Full Les Mis, Trafalgar Betwixt! - 31st May 2011 news
	Betwixt Enchants Trafalgar, Takeaway for Stratford - 12th May 2011 news