Author: The Reviews Hub - Scotland

Writer: Sarah-Louise Young Director: Sioned Jones It would seem singers and Mermaids have something in common: sometimes, it takes losing their voice to realise aspects they long forgot and push them to embark on an unexpected, though necessary journey. With loose tones of The Little Mermaid (with only an ounce of some Kate Bush), The Silent Treatment infuses storytelling with song and revelation. Taken from their true-to-life experiences, Sarah-Louise Young’s latest venture embarks on her experience with having throat surgery to remove two cysts present since childhood. And as anyone in the music industry knows, this kind of operation is…

Writer/Director: – S. Shakthidharan Co-Director and associate writer: Eamon Flack Without a steady foot on the ground, two young lovers’ cross paths one late night/early morning – neither with any roots within their place of study in New South Wales. Sat beneath the still warm night sky, under a blanket of stars after a midnight swim in the rain, Lily and Siddhartha find an instant connection with one another. But really, their story began decades ago. Counting and Cracking charters the course of a selection of characters, connected by blood and community across fifty years – from Colombo, Sri Lanka…

You’re invited to attend the social event of the season. And it’s going to be absolute chaos. Making name for infusing the prestige of Jane Austen with the improve tactics and sly humour of some of the nation’s best comics, Austentatious has continued to claim it’s crown as the Fringe’s favourite improvisation comedy and theatrical piece. Give them a title, any title, and the team with spin a yarn Austen herself would be envious of. Borrowing themes, character skeletons and stereotypes of the genre, Austentatious removes all sense from the sensibility but continues to claim the pride they full deserve.…

Writer: Anne Chamberlain Director: KC Kelly Gilded Balloon Teviot is a grand venue: many floors and many rooms to get lost in. Mornings at the Fringe tend to be children’s and family shows, a light touch to start the day. This year, tucked into the Wee Room on Bristo Square, is Anne Chamberlain’s Eglantyne, a touching show about a woman who influenced the way the political world treats children. New Zealand actress Anne Chamberlain brings Save The Children founder Eglantyne Jebb back to life in this 75-minute, one-woman show. As the writer and performer of the piece, Chamberlain sprinkles bits…

Director: Bibi and Bichu Ltd Derartu Tulu was the first black African woman to earn an Olympic medal. She won gold at the 1992 and 2000 Olympic games in the 10,000m race, proving to be a fierce competitor and example of the impressive capability of the human body. 30 years later, Ethiopian circus company, Circus Abyssinia, is following her legacy. Established from the combined efforts of two Ethiopian juggling brothers (Bibi and Bichu Tesfamariam) and an emerging Ethiopian circus school (Circus Wingate), Circus Abyssinia was born. Their first show was all about the dream of joining the circus – something…

Writer:  Tim Crouch Director: Karl James and Andy Smith It’s an odd feeling, writing your career obituary. But elements of writer and performer Tim Crouch’s Truth’s A Dog Must Kennel undoubtedly conjures a more morose feeling of the Fringe’s (and Theatres) return and future – one of apprehension and squandered opportunity. One where the bleakness of King Lear, the impending doom and war slither into the contemporary, as Crouch’s latest production into the metatextual nuance of theatre begins to question the why and what now of our craft. In reverence to the spirit of Truth’s A Dog Must Kennel, in…

Writer: Uma Nada-Rajah Director: Debbie Hannan The royal vizier, the second-in-command, the confidant; if there is one thing to know about politics – someone else is always pulling the string. The white cliffs of Dover, is there a finer representation of these Isle’s welcoming borders? Well, for some, the welcoming part is a detraction. And the closure of said border is also a selling point. In her bid to become the country’s leader (how remarkably topical), Home Secretary Asiya Rao’s major policy announcement campaign hits a snag – just a little one, quite literally. As a parcelled baby washes ashore,…

Writer: Matthew Bulgo Death, politics, sex, famine, puppets, identity, metamorphosis, puppets, circuses, musicals, cost-of-living, immigration, puppets. The Festival Fringe is a lot. And sometimes – the humbleness of uplifting stories with spectacular visuals and harmonies is precisely the tonic we need to breathe. Where the stakes aren’t the end of the world, but of one family’s harmony – a universally told tale of grief, healing, and legacy, regardless of if you hate them or adore them. That’s exactly what Matthew Bulgo’s Blood Harmony is. A family-orientated story of loss, not only of (loss of) life but the bond of three sisters and…