Writer: David Hoskin Billed as a spine-tingling tale of terror and laughter, A Haunted House turns the audience into the driver and passengers of a car that has broken down outside a crumbling mansion that would make anyone think twice about going into even if they hadn’t seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show or any 70s Hammer House of Horror movie. That the person inviting you into the mansion calls to mind Ozzy Osbourne at his bat-eating Bark at the Moon finest would also strike a note of caution before entering. Drawing on these visual clues and classic tropes, and…
Author: The Reviews Hub - Scotland
The Reviews Hub - Scotland
The Scotland team is under the editorship of Lauren Humphreys. The Reviews Hub was set up in 2007. We aim to review all professional types of theatre, whether that be Commercial, Repertory or Fringe as well as Comedy, Music, Gigs etc.
Book, Music and Lyrics: SpitLip (David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts) Director: Robert Hastie The widely acclaimed musical, Operation Mincemeat, is a production of absolutely genius. Although it is only five actors, they work together perfectly to tell the story of some MI5 agents working together to win the Second World War for Britain. Based on a true story you would expect quite a hard-hitting plot, however this musical is hilarious and entertaining, totally flamboyant and over the top, whilst being respectful to the subject and those involved – although Ian Fleming may not agree! Being a…
Writers: Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey From the team behind the 2024 ad 2025 Fringe sell-out Spy Movie: The Play comes a new production set in Plumstanton Library as its staff deal with the death of the Head Librarian following the collapse of shelving in the Agatha Christie section, the arrival of his replacement and the news that an Inspector is scheduled to visit. All of this is happening against the backdrop of declining customers, crumbling infrastructure and library closures across the region. There is a slapstick element to the show with lights that repeatedly cut out, the search…
They say you should write what you know. Johansen and McCarthy certainly did, probing the depths of their recent biographies as undergrads in an elite New York City drama school to bring to the stage what appears to be an almost verbatim rendition of their lived experiences. But that fidelity is a double-edged sword: the plot, involving a classmate who’s now behind bars, feels more like a memoir than drama. The writers turned their setting to their advantage: not only is the action staged in an educational institution, but the building has a direct view of Rikers Island, which becomes…
In a stylish basement bar in the New Town, Pauline Vallance is serving up an afternoon treat we never knew we needed. She’s a brilliant musician, her mid-life moment coming when she attended a clàrsach (Celtic harp) workshop and promptly went out and bought one. She’s now an accomplished composer and song-writer but in this show she’s playing covers – and there’s a twist. Inspired by the long-running Radio Four show I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue, she’s singing the lyrics of one song while playing the tune of another. The effect is enthralling and vastly amusing. Before you know…
Writer: Abby Goldfarb Composers: Abby Goldfarb (music and lyrics) and Jody Shelton (music) Director: Eddie Grey It may be a little unusual to have five mothers and no dad but in this solo show Abby Goldfarb makes it the new normal. She deploys her unconventional origin story as the springboard for a full-blown comedy musical about her life to date. Conceived via an unofficial sperm donation involving no medical professionals, Abby was part-raised by one lesbian couple who then split up and formed new partnerships, leading to the multiple moms. Anyway, the show is fabulous. Abby is fabulous. We’re all…
Mayflies has had plenty of time to enter the common imagination, considering the wide success of the book and TV show that followed. It’s a tale of Tully and James’s friendship that defies the struggles of living in working-class Glasgow in the 80s, all the way to Tully’s tragic death. Andrew O’Hagan has created a story that will stand the test of time and become a classic of Scottish Literature. When tackling a text so familiar and beloved by many, there is always a worry about doing it justice. And Grid Iron managed to embody some of the novel’s most…
If you’ve ever wondered what Britain’s most northerly bus stop looks like, or wondered which came first, the bus or the bus stop, this show is for you. It’s also for anyone with a taste for the absurd, and for fans of comedy that’s clever, affectionate and original. Self-confessed ‘Bus Stop Spotter’ Jim Judges, whose previous Fringe shows include spoof health and safety presentations by cutlery safety expert Ian Crawford, has immersed himself in the geography, history, maths and cultural significance of bus stops for his new show, and he can’t wait to share his enthusiasm. His PowerPoint slides take…