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Saskia Baron |
The strongest element in Tony is the performance that Antonio Banderas gives as ‘Chef’, the owner of a seafood restaurant in the holiday resort of Provincetown in the late…
Veronica Lee |
Susie McCabeAssembly George Square ★★★★Glaswegian Susie McCabe has established a loyal following at the Edinburgh Fringe over the past few years, and in Coming of Rage she…
Simon Thompson |
Several years ago, after a Queen’s Hall song morning, a fellow reviewer told me it was time we rethought the song recital, and that the old format of someone standing still while…
David Nice |
An Ulster playwright who insists she's British, a childish American star hung up on Irish Catholic tropes - played by a very grown up actor, Matthew Broderick - and a theatre…
Markie Robson-Scott |
“How many cancer patients does it take to change a lightbulb? One and then 12 to say, ‘How inspiring.’” Bad taste jokes are all the rage among the kids at the summer camp for…
Katie Colombus |
A lost weekend is time you can't account for: you come out of it changed, unsure quite how. Phoebe Bridgers, it seems, has been living inside one. Six years after Punisher, she…
Adam Sweeting
The return of Taylor Sheridan’s all-female CIA special ops unit finds the war on terror cutting uncomfortably close to the bone, with team boss Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña) targeted…
David Kettle
Cathy ★★★Iconic Scottish actor Elaine C Smith towers over writer/director Eilidh Loan’s snarling, acid-sour comedy at the Traverse Theatre. Judging by chat in the hectic pre-…
Liz Thomson
Unlike in Britain, where the bar for entry is more survival than talent, “national treasure” is not a term in such wide currency in America. But Mavis Staples is indeed a National…
Joe Muggs
It’s easy to miss what an interesting artist Carly Simon is. I’ve certainly been guilty of it; bar a few undeniable gems, it felt like her oeuvre was based in a 1970s white rock…
Gary Naylor
Well, this is uncannily topical, thought I, as the opening number, “Where Is the Justice?” took me back to Jurisprudence seminars and caught plenty of the newspapers screaming…
Veronica Lee
Max Fulham’s Monkey Business ★★★★Gilded Balloon TeviotRarely do I delve into the rich world of children's entertainment at the Edinburgh Fringe, but sometimes a scheduling snafu…
Kieron Tyler
Temple Songs opens with “Arc Still Bends”. The song begins with filigreed acoustic guitar and Laura Veirs singing “the arc still bends towards justice, right?” “So why I am still…
Simon Thompson
This is Nicola Benedetti’s fourth opening concert while she has been in charge of the Edinburgh International Festival, and I suspect it might be the one she’s most proud of. That…
Gary Naylor
What would ol’ Shakey think of such liberties? Two plays that may or may not be a single narrative, which may or may not have a missing middle section, stitched together with a…
David Nice
It's an uncanny coincidence that two operas about pain relief which goes wrong should premiere at Irish and Scottish festivals at the same time. Today also sees Simon Thompson's…
Graham Rickson
Czech animator Jiří Trnka’s rise to international fame mirrored that of his contemporary Karel Zeman, both filmmakers producing work as sophisticated as anything from the Disney…
Gary Naylor
Popular culture includes both will-o'-the-wisp confections, gone in 900 seconds pace Warhol’s aphorism, but can also creates a shorthand that conveys more than a lengthy monograph…
Boyd Tonkin
On paper, this Prom looked like a well-stocked display-case for collective choral virtues. Baroque wizard Peter Whelan (pictured below) led the Choir and Orchestra of the Age of…
disc of the day
A father mourned and a lover found, all in one extraordinary breath
tv
Taylor Sheridan's female CIA team bring the Ukraine conflict back home
Diane Morgan and Sarah Kendall's comedy is full of heart and soul
film
Rites of passage at the kitchen pass; cooking up a coming-of-age romcom
George Jacques directs well meaning, uneven rom-com
new music
A father mourned and a lover found, all in one extraordinary breath
A subtle, potent raging against the dying of the light from a low key great
classical
An unforgettable voice, a mythic new song cycle, and Yuja doing jazz
Missy Mazzoli’s impressive new opera follows Wynton Marsalis' jazz symphony opening night
Choral glories led by a dauntless soprano warrior
opera
Missy Mazzoli’s impressive new opera follows Wynton Marsalis' jazz symphony opening night
Michael Gallen's riveting music-theatre piece has committed performances all round
A joyous outing for Weber's mash-up of panto and profundity
theatre
David Ireland's theatrical clash of three cultures is funny but forgettable
Brutal comedy and cool understatement in two Traverse Theatre shows
Cult manga series adaptation works better for the fanbase
dance
Matthew Bourne’s 2000 hit revs up again with impressive dancers and a witty score
Marianela Nuñez celebrates 28 years at the company
A test of stamina for the audience as well as the dancers
comedy
Daft fun at a family show; a woman overcomes her travails
books
David Thomson explores the dark side of cinema, but still offers a flicker of hope
Joyce lurks in the margins of his own biography in a detailed history of Irish politics
An enjoyable look at 'missingness' and how it affects the way we experience the world
visual arts
Great American photographers all in one place
Four artists' films and a computer game speculate on societal collapse
A wild imagination outlined in miniature
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