Thrice –  ★★★☆☆  – Abstract Al Seed Productions 16 - 24 Oct (Touring) Review by Rebecca Mahar   Al Seed Productions kicks off its Scottish tour of the new work  Thrice  at Tramway in Glasgow, a response to Shakespeare’s  Macbeth  that, while skilfully performed, struggles to identify itself amidst its abstraction.   With storyboarding and direction by Al Seed and Judith Milligan,  Thrice  is billed as a “visual and sonic journey of movement, dance, text, and original music,” which “seeks to challenge the legacy of persecution attached to the word ‘witch,’ asking us to listen differently, and to imagine new forms of care and dignity”, an ambitious proposition which from the outset defies categorisation. This defiance is not a negative in and of itself, and indeed the choice to exist in an undefined space seems to be part of the production’s goal. The problem comes with its stated goals, none of which are met. A scene from Thrice: Pic: Alb...

Jersey Boys -  ★★★☆☆ - Nostalgic Edinburgh Playhouse: Mon 12 – Sat 17 Oct 2026 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 15 October 2026. Edited by Thom Dibdin. The twentieth-anniversary of  Jersey Boys  hits the Edinburgh Playhouse stage with pizzazz and plenty of nostalgia for fans of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons in this jukebox musical tracing the rise, fall, and reinvention of the legendary group. Initially conceived by original Four Seasons member Bob Gaudio,  Jersey Boys  features a book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice and a score of Four Seasons hits, with arrangements and incidental music composed by Ron Melrose. A scene from Jersey Boys. Pic: Mark Senior. Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to read the full review !

Barnum -  ★★★☆☆ - Glitzy flim-flam Festival Theatre: Tue 6 – Sat 10 Oct 2026 Review by Rebecca Mahar Review commissioned by, and originally published on All Edinburgh Theatre, 7 October 2026. Edited by Thom Dibdin. The Watermill Theatre’s touring revival of  Barnum: The Circus Musical  kicks off at the Festival Theatre with blinding light, plenty of sparkle, and a host of actor-musician-acrobats bringing unrivalled energy to the stage. Mark Bramble’s book, itself, has tarnished since show’s 1980 premiere, though, lending an overall air of humbug to this tale of the Prince of Humbugs, produced on this tour by Bill Kenwright Ltd, with direction from the Watermill’s Jonathan O’Boyle and choreographed by Oti Mabuse. A scene from Barnum. Pic: Pamela Rath Photography. Visit All Edinburgh Theatre to read the full review !