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Reviews

43 articles, sorted by name / date
Pages:123

The Skatalites »

****
Some fifty eight years of playing together, and the Skatalites still have it. Considering nine members of the original group have died over the last thirty odd years, their continued influence in the Ska world is impressive indeed – aided, one su...

Wed 31 Dec 2008 by Niall McQuaid | Read more »

eca ksu »

Take Another Little Piece of Japan Now Baby

***
Edinburgh College of Art returns from Japan refreshed and inspired with this inventive, intricate and lovingly detail-obsessed exhibition. A result of the two weeks spent in Kyoto Seika University by the 3rd year Intermedia students, eca ksu offers a s...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Nika Kupyrova | Read more »

The Oresteia »

***
Theatre Paradok’s Oresteia condenses the lengthy three-play text into two hours, with a greater focus on Agamemnon than The Libation Bearers or The Eumenides. Stand-out performances included Becka Wolfe as a suitably savage, writhing Cassandra a...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Felix Trench | Read more »

Normal »

***
"Tell me, after my head has been chopped off, will I still be able to hear, at least for a moment, the sound of my own blood gushing from the stump of my neck?...that would be the pleasure to end all pleasures." These were the last words of serial kill...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Eoin McGreevy | Read more »

La Traviata »

La Traviata

****
Scottish Opera’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata is a veritable feast for the eyes and ears, providing feats of operatic superiority, a lavish set and affecting, emotional performances. This timeless tale concerns the forbidden love betw...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Anna Fenton | Read more »

Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us »

***
As part of the Traverse’s Debuts season, Paul Higgins’ Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us paints an engaging, if predictable portrait of a working class family in crisis. Prodigal son Patrick, returning from the seminary, exposes the difficult rea...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Matt Wieteska | Read more »

East meets West »

****
In a daring project—even for accomplished SCO—tonight’s programme sees Mozart and Beethoven grounding a diverse audience against Samaagam: a concerto for sarod, concertante group and string orchestra. Mozart’s overture to Idome...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Sarah Mitchell | Read more »

Alexander's Feast »

****
Alexander’s Feast follows a tale of Alexander the Great, who torched the city of Persepolis whilst drunk following the defeat of his great rival Darius. The emotions of the ordeal are portrayed and blended together in Handel’s setting of D...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Sarah Mitchell | Read more »

Otter Pie »

****
Fish & Game Theatre Company have produced a highly ambitious reinvention of Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s seminal work, Sunset Song. It takes a good ten minutes or so for the performance to begin; or at least for the performance within the performa...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Eoin McGreevy | Read more »

Edinburgh University Music Society Chorus »

***
It isn’t easy to conjure up a programme everyone will appreciate, especially as a student society. Tonight however—as always—the Edinburgh University Music Society revel in presenting a programme which is friendly to student and prof...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Sarah Mitchell | Read more »

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe »

****
CS Lewis’ most famous children’s novel follows the adventures of four children transported through a wardrobe to the magical land of Narnia. Directed by Mark Thomson, this imaginative stage adaption is sure to enthral. The classic tale is o...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Claire L Jarvis | Read more »

Edinburgh University Sinfonia »

***
The deep harmonies and sheer excitement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition are enough to entice anyone to a concert, student run or otherwise. For a student orchestra however, the considerable textures of Pictures are no easy feat. Tonig...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Sarah Mitchell | Read more »

Edinburgh University Symphony Orchestra »

****
There’s something about the elegant setting of Greyfriar’s Kirk that leads an audience to expect a memorable performance. It has been in this very setting over the past couple of years that we have seen various Edinburgh University orchestr...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Sarah Mitchell | Read more »

Bedlam Theatre Freshers' Slots »

***
The Daft Days: **** Mountain Language & New World Order ** Butterflies Scream ** Bedlam Theatre's Freshers' Slots are a chance to showcase the emerging talent of Edinburgh University’s theatrical bright young things. The plays this year were...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Claire L Jarvis | Read more »

Flamboyant Bella »

**
To hear the news that Flamboyant Bella are playing at Cabaret Voltaire, you could be forgiven for falling victim to the power of semantics. Images of flashing lights, eccentric showmanship and the general incline towards the carnivalesque should be con...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Rebecca Monks | Read more »

The Islanders: An Introduction »

Untitled (Ridable)

****
The Islanders is a difficult exhibition to describe, but an amazing one to experience. Scottish artist Charles Avery has brought together a multimedia show incorporating text, sculpture, drawing and painting, all centred around a fictional island and i...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Colleen Patterson | Read more »

Jarvis Cocker and friends »

****
Birthday parties can be awkward occasions, but 30th birthday parties especially so. For a start, its unlikely anyone will play musical chairs; and will the person in question be comfortable about reaching such a landmark? In the case of Rough Trade Rec...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Chris McCall | Read more »

Feeder »

*****
Having read that Feeder’s bassist, Taka Hirose, once threw an orange in Keanu Reeves’ face, it seemed virtually impossible for Feeder to rise in my already high estimation. Despite eight albums, twenty four singles and a bassist with terrif...

Tue 09 Dec 2008 by Rebecca Monks | Read more »

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Beauty and the Beast »

*****
Few are unfamiliar the story of Beauty and the Beast – or at least a variation thereof. As such, it’s not a bad choice for Birmingham Royal Ballet. Ticket sales ought to be boosted by a perception of relative accessibility. In fact, compari...

Tue 02 Dec 2008 by Evan Beswick | Read more »

The Secret Marriage »

***
Few things can prove more frustrating in opera: libretti clumsily contrived into English, and eighteenth century works hauled meaninglessly up to date, modern costumes and sets marking some perceived attempt to add relevance to the proceedings. By and ...

Tue 02 Dec 2008 by Evan Beswick | Read more »

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