Ushers: The Front of House Musical – 5 stars *****

…with one star for the venue’s acoustics. Bravo to the exceptionally talented cast for battling against the incredibly difficult conditions in this old church, it’s appreciated.

It’s easy to see how this new musical has come up ‘through the ranks’ … Read More

Poppies – 5 stars *****

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

A ridiculously talented cast of actor/musicians performed this delightful new piece of musical theatre with a refreshing honesty which had most of the audience in tears by the end.

Okay, so there is nothing new in any … Read More

The Craft of the Cooper – 3 stars ***

3 stars ***

This got off to a fine start with some very powerful acting from the father. The intensity wasn’t kept by the rest of the cast however although kudos for performing within the constraints of such a small … Read More

UKIP! The Musical – 4 stars ****

It had to happen some time and here we are with a satirical musical kind of based on the rise of Nigel Farage. I’ve seen some complaints that this show is vulgar, crude, racist etc. but that’s the point. Just … Read More

Hedwig and the Angry Inch – 4 stars ****

Hedwig is now a cult Fringe classic, having been performed several times over the past few years and ironically usually in this venue.

This production, more than the others I have seen, had very good audience interaction and despite the … Read More

Cult – 4 stars ****

Cult is an interesting new piece of musical theatre, a collection of monologues and songs relating to different cult groups throughout history. In a similar way to how “Working” presents the material of Studs Terkel, we are presented by actual … Read More

Urinetown – 5 stars *****

It’s great to see Urinetown back in Edinburgh, I’m surprised it isn’t on more often as it’s a perfect show for the diverse audiences of the Fringe.

Once again the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland brings first-class production values to the … Read More

Departures:A Song Cycle – 4 stars ****

I unfortunately missed this last year due to traffic issues so looked forward to seeing this extended version. It wasn’t quite what I expected but overall was very enjoyable.

Set on a train platform there are lots of good ideas … Read More

Pippin – 3 stars ***

Pippin is one of those shows you either love or hate. In the same vein as Godspell, it’s very much a concept musical with a troupe of actors telling stories, in this case about Pippin, a prince looking for a … Read More

Dogfight – 3 stars ***

It’s nice to see the first production of Dogfight in the Fringe (that I’m aware of at least) – this Pasek & Paul show is one of those trendy cult shows which musical theatre students have been talking about recently … Read More