Reviews

Lyceum
2-5 Sep, times vary

Watching this adaptation of J.M.Barrie’s classic by New York company Mabou Mines, it seems curious that it has become a childrens’ favourite. Peter Pan brings images of swashbuckling or flying over the streets of London to mind: the Disney cartoons and Christmas pantomimes are probably to blame. But the story is – we find out here – a complex emotional tale concerning the rather more adult issues of early maturity, responsibility and innocence. Read more »

Traverse
18-30 Aug, times vary

“As the old prostitute said: it’s not the work, it’s the stairs” quips Bette Bourne as he takes his seat opposite interviewer Mark Ravenhill and proceeds to divulge an extraordinary personal history. Read more »

Pleasance Dome
5-31 Aug, 3.30pm

“The name’s Bane, Bruce Bane. I’m a hired hand that gets the job done. I don’t waste time and I take no prisoners…”

So begins Bane, the one man film noir pastiche that’s got both movie geeks and theatre buffs excited over at the Pleasance Dome. The show shouldn’t really work and certainly not on this reviewer, whose film tastes are Clueless in more ways than one. But Bane has been one of the happiest surprises of my Fringe experience. Read more »

Underbelly
6-31 Aug, 10.15pm

Sammy J’s life is falling to bits and the films of his idol Walt Disney have nothing to offer by way of help or guidance. He expresses his sense of deep loss in an opening number entitled “Fuck you Disney”, which draws our attention to the fact that Walt was a Nazi; then he finds himself sucked through a portal to an enchanted forest where he, among other things, stages a coup, steals his best friend’s girl, and does some extremely questionable drawings of the King of the forest enjoying a squirrel. Read more »

Interviews

My first day in Edinburgh this year, I was walking along the pavement and the wing mirror of a passing bus brushed through my hair. Even though I was less than an inch away from death, my first thought was, “That would have been great publicity for my show. I would definitely have sold out.” Read more »

Marc Hogan, whose ‘day job’ is as a corporate trainer, makes his stage debut at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with his one-man comedy show Actions Speak Louder Than Birds at Zoo Southside. Here are his further instructions as to why you should see his show. Read more »

Hannah C Patterson is the author and director of The Play About Charlotte, which is at C Soco during the Fringe, having premiered earlier this year at Stage@leeds theatre in Leeds, where Patterson – and her company – are currently studying. Read more »

Earlier this year I was hit by a car and taken to hospital. I had amnesia and two broken ribs. Oh, and I thought I was Oliver Cromwell. Why did I tell them I was Oliver Cromwell? Wasn’t he the bad guy? I mean, I am Irish, terrible at history and quite a nice fella.

It came as a bit of a shock when my mother confirmed that I was a direct descendent of Oliver Cromwell. Questions had to be answered! That is the starting point to the rollicking ride I take in my show through 400 years of family skeletons. I get tangled in my family tree and find the humour in the colourful characters, contradictions and gruesome past of my ancestry. Read more »

Features

Every week our theatregoer reporter Corinne Furness trawls the web to find some of the best gems from the myriad theatre-related blogs and condense them into one easy-to-read “Best of the Blogs” round-up each Friday. This month’s it’s all been about Edinburgh. This is her final Fringe festival instalment… Read more »

This is the final instalment in our special weekly Edinburgh video picks feature, in conjunction with the Whatsonstage.com Television
channel, a rapidly expanding archive of theatre-related video content.
As well as our exclusive first night reports, we regularly add show
trailers, event promos, interviews, video diaries and behind-the-scenes
footage.

Every week our theatregoer reporter Corinne Furness trawls the web to find some of the best gems from the myriad theatre-related blogs and condense them into one easy-to-read “Best of the Blogs” round-up each Friday. Between now and the end of August, guess what her focus will be?… Read more »

From now until the end of August, we’re concentrating on – guess what? – Edinburgh and we’re going weekly rather than fortnightly with our regular video picks feature, in conjunction with the Whatsonstage.com Television channel, a rapidly expanding archive of theatre-related video content. As well as our exclusive first night reports, we regularly add show trailers, event promos, interviews, video diaries and behind-the-scenes footage. Read more »

News

Barely has the Edinburgh Fringe packed its bags for another year like a dispatched Big Brother housemate than a swathe of London venues have snapped up its best bits for your viewing pleasure. Yes, it’s transfer season – and not just on the football field. Talent scouts were out in force last month to ensure that London theatregoers get the best of the fest come autumn.

We’ve already reported on transfers for Catwalk Confidential to the Arts Theatre, The Stefan Golaszewski Plays to the Bush and a slew of musicals to Jermyn Street. But that’s not all by a long shot. Whatsonstage.com’s Off-West End deputy editor Nancy Groves has scoured the venue listings to round up what else has made the trip south this month. Read more »

Two of the winning productions in the 2009 Musical Theatre Matters Awards, sponsored by Whatsonstage.com at last month’s Edinburgh Fringe (See News, 25 Aug 2009), are transferring directly to Jermyn Street Theatre this month as part of a four-week season celebrating new British musical theatre. Read more »

The final round of Herald Angel awards – which have been running since 1996 and recognise “innovation and excellence across the spectrum of artistic activity” – were announced on Saturday (30 August 2009), presented by new chief executive of the Fringe Society Kath Mainland. Read more »

Despite the continuing recession, the Edinburgh Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival, has reported record ticket sales this year. Overall, ticket sales reached 1.85 million, an increase of 9% from the previous record (set in 2007) and 21% up on last year’s figures, which were impacted by problems with the ticketing system (See News, 20 Aug 2008). Read more »