Every year at the Samhain, or Halloween, season, musical theatre lovers break out their basques, fishnets and eyeliner and strut to theatres to see ‘The Rocky Horror Show’. Created by Richard O’Brien in the seventies, it fused glam rock with kitsch horror and has become a staple of repeated stage and screen experiences worldwide. ButContinue reading “Lucifer Over Lanarkshire: Rocky Horror Sucks”
Category Archives: Live theatre
(From Across The Arts Archive) Theatre Review: A Respectable Widow Takes To Vulgarity at Oran Mor,Glasgow
Arts:BlogTheatre Review: A Respectable Widow Takes to VulgarityPOSTED BY ACROSS THE ARTS ON FEBRUARY 26, 2013, AT 10.09AMLorna Irvine is charmed by a comedic parade of profanities. Like Pygmalion in reverse, Douglas Maxwell’s new play for Oran Mor and the Traverse upends familiar theatre troupes and tickles them into submission. The delightful duo of JoannaContinue reading “(From Across The Arts Archive) Theatre Review: A Respectable Widow Takes To Vulgarity at Oran Mor,Glasgow”
How (Not) To Be A Crayon Critic
Recently, I had the misfortune to read the WORST review ever (naming no names, or the offending publication). It wasn’t an indictment of the show, but rather, a really badly executed piece of writing. So here we go again, here’s a short guide to the foibles of a Crayon Critic.
Festivals Are For Poshos, Part 2.0
I’ve just returned from the Edinburgh Festival, and it was the usual melee of lunacy, irritation and genuine beauty. On an average year, I’d cover thirty shows, but given my recent surgery, I managed a paltry five. The problem is this: despite the Free Fringe, there’s not any way for newcomers to get a chanceContinue reading “Festivals Are For Poshos, Part 2.0”
Fringe Fatigue
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is a cruel mistress. It’s a special kind of hell if you’re tired or disabled, as I discovered working there the other day. I knew it would be insanely crowded, but take a wrong turn and it’s hard to navigate. Steps, students and tourists who, lost, stop dead in front ofContinue reading “Fringe Fatigue”
Running Away With The Circus
The treatment of animals aside (thank goodness that’s dwindling now) I like the aesthetic, artistry and spectacle of the Victorian circus. The 19th century saw the rise of family circuses in Europe, the UK and America, with traditional acts such as horse acts, trapeze, jugglers, clowns and tumblers taking centre stage. There have been countlessContinue reading “Running Away With The Circus”
From The Skinny Archive: Frisky And Mannish
Frisky And Mannish: Extra Curricular Activities @ Assembly Hall ★★★ Review by Lorna Irvine | 31 Aug 2012 Since 2008, Frisky & Mannish have climbed the glitter trail to stadium pop via the Fringe – they have earned their stripes.This is their greatest hits package. They know the transformative power of a pop anthem andContinue reading “From The Skinny Archive: Frisky And Mannish”
Dear Billy Is Back!
Gary McNair returns with his big hearted show celebrating the inimitable Billy Connolly, Dear Billy: A Love Letter to The Big Yin. Following on from its successful run last year, the show, which is a patchwork of stories McNair has collected from people all over Scotland, is back for another tour, including the Edinburgh Festival.Continue reading “Dear Billy Is Back!”
From the Exeunt Archive: Slap And Tickle
REVIEWS • DANCE • REVIEWSPublished 25 April 2017 Review: Slap and Tickle at Tramway, Glasgow APRIL 21 – APRIL 22 A particularly British nightmare: Lorna Irvine is at Dance International Glasgow to review Liz Aggiss’ boundary-breaking, genre-melding solo show. LORNA IRVINE Slap and Tickle, Tramway, Glasgow. Once upon a time, there was a little girl called Liz Aggiss. NowContinue reading “From the Exeunt Archive: Slap And Tickle”
One From Exeunt Archive: Jasmin Vardimon Pinocchio
REVIEWS • DANCE • REVIEWSPublished 12 May 2017 Review: Pinocchio at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh MAY 2 A highly original, thoroughly rollicking ninety minutes: Lorna Irvine enjoys Jasmin Vardimon’s multi-faceted dance adaptation of this classic children’s story. LORNA IRVINE Pinocchio, Jasmin Vardimon Company. Photo: Tristram Kenton. Assassins? Beyonce? A brutal subtext about exploitation? It must be choreographer Jasmin Vardimon’sContinue reading “One From Exeunt Archive: Jasmin Vardimon Pinocchio”
Hit The North 