Accidental Death of an Anarchist -  ★★★★☆ - Timely Hill Street Theatre: Wed 14 – Sat 17 May 2025 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 16 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. Arkle Theatre Company mix humour and deadly reality at the Hill Street Theatre, in their take on   Accidental Death of an Anarchist , a farce that keeps living up to its genre with more and more irony. Tom Basden’s 2023 adaptation of Dario Fo and Franca Rame’s riotous 1970 original is searingly up-to-date and regionally relevant, set in offices of the Metropolitan Police in London. Basden easily transports the 1969 events in Italy upon which the original was based, into 21st century England. It’s perhaps even easier to believe now, than then, that an anarchist accused of an urban bombing should be interrogated without evidence by police and subsequently meet his death at their hands. Wendy Brindle as the Maniac. Pic: Rob Shields. Visit Al...

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -  ★★★★★ - Exceptional Festival Theatre: Tue 13 – Sat 17 May 2025 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 15 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. Brimming with music and whimsy, fear and wonder,  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , touring to the Festival Theatre all week, is a spectacular interpretation of C.S. Lewis’s classic novel. It is spectacular in the literal sense that it is full of spectacle from curtain to curtain: packed with illusions, sumptuous design and technical bombast. This never becomes overwhelming, though: it’s perfectly balanced to create the world of four child evacuees from the Blitz who discover a magical kingdom in the back of a wardrobe; enlivening all its various locations and characters with exactly the right amount of magic. Bunmi Osadolor (Edmund), Jesse Dunbar (Peter), Kudzai Mangombe (Lucy), Joanna Adaran (Susan). Pic: Brinkoff-Moegenburg. Visit...

 Dracula -  ★★☆☆☆ - Atmospheric Pavilion Theatre Glasgow: Tue 6 – Wed 7 May 2025 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 13 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. Blackeyed Theatre’s  Dracula  is an atmospheric adaptation  of Bram Stoker’s seminal Gothic novel, with more ambitions than successes. An epistolatory novel, Dracula is challenging to adapt, notwithstanding the generalized knowledge that an audience tends to already have of the story. Written and directed by Nick Lane, this version somehow manages to fall prey both to over-reliance on this pre-existing knowledge, and to the assumption that the audience will read the six-part, several thousand word synopsis of the play in the £4 programme before the show begins. Richard Keightley, Marie Osmon, Pelé Kelland-Beau and Harry Rundle. Pic: Karl Andre Smit. Rather than focussing on selected strands of Stoker’s novel to create a cohesive and compelling p...

  Jesus Christ Superstar - ★★★★☆ - It’s the buzz Festival Theatre: Weds 7 – Sat 10 May 2025 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 8 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. Southern Light blaze onto the Festival Theatre stage with their production of the Lloyd Webber & Rice rock opera   Jesus Christ Superstar , tackling this modern classic with a monstrous cast and ambitious production values. A loose retelling of the Passion of Jesus,  Superstar  follows the events of the final week of Christ’s life leading up to the crucifixion. While Jesus (Colin Sutherland) is obviously a main character,  Superstar  is equally about Judas (Ethan Baird), and his doubts over Jesus’s plans (or lack thereof), ultimately leading to his betrayal. Colin Sutherland as Jesus. Pic: Andrew Morrison Photography. Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to read the full review !

  In Other Words - ★★★★☆ - Painfully vital Studio Theatre: Fri 2- Sat 3 May Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 3 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. A compelling look into the life and struggles of a couple dealing with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, TBC Productions’  In Other Words   pairs painful truth with the commitment of love and the power of music, in a play that strikes at the heart of humanity. Written by Matthew Seager,  In Other Words  begins before the audience enter. Arthur (Seager) and Jane (Lydia White) lounge and chat in their sitting room, holding hands and only occasionally glancing at the crowd filing in. Matthew Seager and Lydia White. Pic: Tom Dixon When the doors close and the lights come down, however, the tone shifts: Jane rises and puts on a cardigan, and Arthur shrinks into his chair, both of them visibly melting from vivacity into catatonia. Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to rea...

  The Crucible - ★★★★★ - Visceral Festival Theatre: Thurs 1 – Sat 3 May 2025 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 3 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. Scottish Ballet’s revival of its 2019 production of  The Crucible  haunts the Festival Theatre with visceral intensity, translating its tale of 17th century American witch trials through the sharp storytelling of Helen Pickett’s contemporary ballet. This is an adaptation of Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, a direct allegory for the political “witch hunts” by the House Un-American Activities Committee which questioned and persecuted many, including Miller, in the entertainment industry. Miller’s publication of such an allegory was an active and personally dangerous rejection of HUAC’s sweeping accusations. Bruno Micchiardi as John Proctor and Kayla-Maree Tarantolo as Abigail in The Crucible. Pic: Rimbaud Patron. The ballet distils Miller’s story down to its essential...

  Incognito - ★★★★☆ - Earnest Assembly Roxy: Tue 29 Apr – Fri 2 May 2025 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 1 May 2025. Edited by Thom Dibdin. The Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group brings Nick Payne’s  Incognito  to the Assembly Roxy in a production packed with lightning-fast transitions and versatile performances. Following three stories in different locations and points in time, Incognito jumps repeatedly between the stories of Thomas Harvey (Al Innes), the American pathologist who performed the autopsy on Albert Einstein in 1955 and stole his brain; Henry Maison (Nicholas Thorne), a man who suffered from seizures, now in memory care in 1953 England; and Martha Murphy (Lucy Hagan-Walker), a clinical neuropsychologist in present day London. The cast of EGTG's Incognito. Pic: Stuart Tweedie. Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to read the full review !