As we get closer and closer to Edinburgh and you are thinking of a patriotic cause – and yer Scottish – or you are looking to sample some performance or twa that shows whit they Scots can dae, then here is a swatch – as we say in Scotland – of my recommendations…
As with any recommendations that come without necessarily seeing the shows that are on offer, a few criteria are applied, namely reputation, past experiences and the pitches being made.
You can of course nip off to see any in the group and won’t go too far wrong
We could of course just be lazy and pick 10 out of the curated “Made in Scotland” showcase… This is Creative Scotland’s push for homemade art and there are a many worthy and good pieces worth seeing but, rather than stick to the safe, it’s the Fringe let’s all take a risk or ten…
So let me begin with cabaret and malarkey.
Running the full length of the Fringe, from 2nd to the 24th of August to The Little Plaza as part of PBH Free Fringe – ALWAYS good to include a Free Fringe event in your visit – Tim Licata Magic brings his A Magic Morning! show. It’s classic stuff with exceptional sleight of hand work aimed at the family. Licata was here two years ago, sold out, is an Edinburgh based magician and has a couple of regular gigs in the city. Don’t catch him here? Come back when you can afford the hotel prices and visit The Joker and the Thief or Hectors pubs when he is on.
A 10th birthday and they are all over 60! How does that work? Well at DB1 at Assembly @ Dance Base from the 1st to the 3rd of August, Prime at 10 will show us.ChoreographerRobbie Synge’s commission for Dance Base’s resident older company will sitalongside a revival of their 2016Carry on Dancing to celebrate the decade milestone of a year-round ensemble. The dancers range from 66 to 82 years old and have a new Artistic Director in Kally Lloyd-Jones helming them. They are well used to the spotlight and have featured on the BBC (Scotland) and Arte TV (Germany). This should be an example of why learning and the arts are a creative long-term vision.
It may be becoming a cliché, but the Zombie Apocalypse is increasingly a thing. Glasgow’s Clydebuilt Theatre Company will be merging the end of life with another phenomenon as The Real Housewives of the Zombie Apocalypse runs from the 1st to the 16th of August at the Thistle Theatre at Greenside @ Riddles Court. This follows seven housewives as they plot their path to self-production – whatever that entails. Clydebuilt are west coasters and have been here before – in 2023 they had a hit with Vote MacBeth! It may be filled with possible clichés however, if they manage to repeat their approach from two years ago, this could be a bit of a musical hit…
30 years after his biggest role, James Robinson, Braveheart’s Young William Wallace is back in Scotland alongside stellar Scottish company in Dawn Steele in Skye: A Thriller. Running from the 31st of July right through to the 24th of August, this has so much going for it. Firstly, the cast, secondly a new script written by a long-time producer Olivier nominated no less, who is no stranger to the Fringe– Ellie Keel, and not forgetting a blinding idea of a story… It’s 1995, and Annie, whilst on the Isle of Skye sees her father. So far, so good. Problem is, he died four years ago. And so, with her brother, Annie goes in search of an elusive quality – the truth. Catch it at the Tech Cube at Summerhall.
This was my favourite show of 2024. I am delighted to see it get an extended run after the limited exposure it got last year. Chunky Jewellery tells the tale of two real life friends – Natasha and Jude. They take us through a year in their lives with births, a death and plenty of giggles: in fact, plenty of guffaws. This is laugh out loud funny because it is genuine and very true. It encompasses the stories of two women who have got to a stage in their lives where the only presents people can think of getting them is … chunky jewellery. Running from the 1st to the 24th of August at the Music Hall at Assembly Rooms, this is the only pick of mine from the Made in Scotland showcase and given it’s intrinsic brilliance I make no apologies for that. Barrowland Ballet are an exceptional company from Glasgow who have provided several hits over the years, including Tiger Tale, which I saw over a decade ago and it still tours internationally!
It is sometimes hard to see past anything that is directed By Gerry Mulgrew, given he has won no fewer than 6 Fringe Firsts, so don’t… Here he has combined the loss and revival of Scotland’s traditional stepdancing by collaborating with stepdancer Alison Carlyle and instrumentalist and Fyne Fiddles’ workshop leader, Amy Geddes. Deiseil: Dancing in Time is at Venue45@theSpace. Running from the 8th to the 16th of August, this celebrates that loss and then a friendship through its rediscovery in a very Scottish way –fiddle, feet, sang and immersion, sae bring yersel and yer hope, tae be filled up and be Deiseil… (Gaelic for ready).
Don’t Stop Me Now – be honest you are already singing the next line – is the latest in the tremendous story which is The Flames. This takes people of a certain age and allows them to develop, create and perform their show that they create and author. Tricky Hat Productions have been doing this for years and have spread their work far and wide in Scotland but also to Japan. Using their usual blend of performance, film and music created especially for this show, this company of older performers will be at The Hepburn Suite at the Royal Scots Club from the 19th to the 23rd of August.
It is hard to find the right words to describe the polymath who was Alasdair Gray and The Big Yin, Billy Connolly, but there we go – just did it. The man who brought us The Moira Monologues, Alan Bissett, takes on both to recreate and speculate over what happened when these two once met – at the launch of Gray’s masterpiece of fiction, Lanark. When Billy Met Alasdair is at the Netherbow Theatre at Scottish Storytelling Centre from the 31st of July to the 23rd of August. Of course, given Bissett’s experience as a much nominated, lauded writer and novelist (He was also once called the 46th handsomest man in Scotland), this is about more than just one wee chat – it takes in their metaphorical journey which brought them together. One wonders what could have been born had they collaborated after they once met… perhaps we shall find out…
Visible Fictions have, over many years, crafted an international reputation for thought provoking and innovative theatre. Up fits right in as it explores what happens if you are in a commercial plane crash… Up has already had a run out within Scotland’ theatres leading to this full run at the Fringe. It is appearing at the Braeburn at Gilded Ballon, Appleton Tower from the 30th of July to the 24th of August. As the company believes that people are our greatest resource, let’s hope all the audience are sitting in seat 11A…
Having triumphed with Achilles, Company of Wolves, who are based in Glasgow, bring The Bacchae from the 31st of July to the 24th of August to Upstairs at The Assembly Roxy. Covering the whole horror of an outcast God, powerless king and a mother who kills her only son, the myth of Dionysus is given massive power in Ewan Downie’s solo work. This is a wholesale examination of binary and how we relate to dividing things into two, when there should be more subtle views taken of complexities which humanity brings and often tries to avoid. Company of Wolves love the experimental and adventurous, so pack jeopardy in with your ticket, it’s out there and Company of Wolves love to visit it.
Others that are worthy of note…
Kathryn Gordon’s A Journey of Flight which has some dates to come after the Fringe which is an immersive dance piece – part of Made in Scotland – created in Shetland and will be at Dance Base 3 at Assembly @ Dance Base.
Saltire Sky Theatre’s 1902 at The Pat Stanton Suite of the Hibernian Supporter’s Club tells the story of their Scottish Cup win of 2016 – 114 years after they last won the Cup!
The next iteration of Singin’ I’m No a Billy He’s a Tim is the Young Offenders version and is at The Lomond Theatre at Pleasance at the EICC. This is celebrating over two decades as a phenomenon and NLP Theatre Company who first brought Des Dillon’s incredibly funny tale to the stage have been touring, developing, reimagining it and bringing it back for us all to enjoy…
At Grand Theatre the Space @ Surgeon’s Hall Naked Neds, which has been on tour recently sees Hi Productions take a few young ‘uns trying to wrap their heads round suicide, fatherhood, a lump and the NHS.
Geez a Break Productions sound distinctly Scottish and with When We Were Young, they prove it with style. Another show that has been touring round Scotland for some considerable time it’s about a young team, gang culture and breaking hearts in postcode battles. Catch it at Space 3 at theSpace on the Mile.
Also keep an eye out for four shows I saw at a scratch night in Glasgow,
Nick it for Munich – a solo show about getting to Euro 24 and the obvious disappointment of our debut against Germany at Greenside at George Street.
Cardstock at the Greenside at Riddles Court which is meta and fascinating.
Connor McKenna’s Seltzer Boy which is at Paradise at St Augustine’s which is a real one man tour de force.
Insane Odds Productions and Fearless Monster – solo stand up about a queer Frankenstein’s monster and what he might get to say if he had a microphone in his hand is at Paradise at St Augustine’s.
Perfect Dead Girls at Bedlam by Audaciously Tenacious Theatre and If you want to know why I tipped B*Witched off my Spotify cos I thought every time I heard it a goth teenager died – book tickets…
