The reviews for Edinburgh's festivals are in...
The Herald has teamed up with EdFest.com to make the purchase of tickets for the festival so much easier.
When Karine Polwart heard the story of the 200-year-old Sabal palm tree that was about to be felled in Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, it sparked the idea for this new illustrated fusion of song cycle and storytelling.
Produced by the Raw Material company as part of this year's Made in Scotland Edinburgh Festival Fringe showcase, Polwart's story comes with a twist that lends even more charm to a work of monumental beauty, says Neil Cooper.
Superstar musicians playing the repertoire they learned in the 1990s is all the rage in Edinburgh this week.
In Nicola Benedetti's case, she was 11 years old and a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School in London where 15-year-old Alexander Sitkovetsky was one of the star students. He is now artistic director of Wroclaw's NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra and the second concert of its Edinburgh residency reunited the schoolmates to play music that they had played for Menuhin shortly before his death.
The result was not only the most joyous music-making but also the most perfect expression of Benedetti's position as a working musician directing the Edinburgh International Festival, writes Keith Bruce.
Which came first? Chicken or egg? In the case of this remarkable work by Belgium's FC Bergman company, who open the show by getting a real life hen to let loose an egg into the earth beneath, probably both.
Surrounded by the eight performers of this seventy minute ritual navigation through ancient Greek poet Hesiod's idea of the five ages in his poem that gives the show its title, the hen's egg drop is as golden a statement on new life as it gets, even if it does come a cropper later on, writes Neil Cooper.
At the production's heart are the two towering central performances by Grierson and Cox. Grierson is in typical chameleon-like form as Fred, presented here as a rather sad, pathetic figure without empathy or morality. Grierson doesn't crack a smile throughout, delivering each line with withering intent, writes Neil Cooper.
Good comedy requires light and shade. For the first ten minutes, she embraces the shade. Memories of her mother's death, four days before Rosie's 11th birthday, leave many of the sell-out crowd in tears. 'Don't worry, you haven't bought the wrong ticket. This isn't Angela's Ashes, The Musical. There will be jokes,' she promises. And there are. Jokes and anecdotes and gentle whimsy. She conducts the tempo and tone of this show like a maestro. We all lean in, writes Gayle Anderson.
Alison Spittle bursts onto the stage in an explosion of tulle and sequins. It's like a transformation challenge on The Great British Sewing Bee and they've raided the Strictly wardrobe. A seasoned stand-up, she's absolutely bossing that stage and she knows it. There's a couple of cracking Shrek puns and an Adele gag before she gets to the meat of this year's set, writes Gayle Anderson.
Dancer Dan Daw is unflinchingly forthright when it comes to describing himself.
He openly identifies as an 'Australian, queer, crip artist' - before adding the crucially important factor of 'kink'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Sturgeon: I do not agree with Forbes being banned by Fringe venue
It comes amid a row over the Summerhall venue's decision not to have Ms Forbes back at any future events following a fringe show organised by The Herald newspaper. The venue has reportedly suggested that John Swinney's deputy posed a safety and wellbeing risk to its staff over her views on trans rights. Kate Forbes has been banned by the Summerhall arts venue in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA) Ms Forbes is a devout Christian and a member of the socially conservative Free Church of Scotland. She was criticised during her SNP leadership battle for her stance on gay marriage, abortion and trans rights. Ms Sturgeon, who appointed Ms Forbes as finance secretary while she was first minister, was asked whether she agreed with Summerhall's decision. 'I don't agree with cancel culture and I don't agree with that,' she said. She added that she took no responsibility for the venue's decision. Summerhall, which has received more £600,000 in government funding, previously held Herald Unspun live events with Mr Swinney and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, the latter of whom has U-turned over his stance on gender self-ID. Ms Forbes expressed disappointment at the venue and said she 'fervently' believes in freedom of speech. 'Any effort to cancel people, especially politicians, undermines democracy,' she said. Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been appearing at events in Edinburgh (Jane Barlow/PA) 'Many people attended the Herald event and it is important that we could freely discuss and debate matters in a respectful manner. 'I respect and acknowledge the fact that, in a liberal democracy, there are people who will agree with me and others who will disagree with me. 'That is all the more reason to create events where the audience and journalists can question politicians openly, as the Herald did.' In a statement, the Summerhall venue said: 'This event was booked as a series of long-form interviews prior to the guest list being confirmed. 'Summerhall Arts primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of the artists and performers we work with, and going forward we will be developing robust, proactive inclusion and wellbeing policies that would prevent this oversight in our bookings process happening again.' Shona Robison, who succeeded Ms Forbes as Finance Secretary, also defended her colleague, calling Summerhall's decision 'unwise and unnecessary'.
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Insiders reveal what Andy Carroll's family REALLY think about ex Lou Teasdale after pair's holiday drama & ‘toxic' split
The former England ace's ex-girlfriend broke her silence on claims her friends 'hate' Andy after bubbling tension behind closed doors NOT A KEEPER Insiders reveal what Andy Carroll's family REALLY think about ex Lou Teasdale after pair's holiday drama & 'toxic' split Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN Andy Carroll's turbulent relationship with Lou Teasdale finally ended, there were more sighs of relief than shocked gasps from the footballer's loved ones. Ever since the breakdown of his two-year marriage to long-term partner Billi Mucklow, those close to the dad-of-five have secretly worried behind the scenes. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Andy Carroll with his ex Lou Teasdale Credit: instagram 5 Andy with his parents, ex Billi Mucklow and their three kids Credit: Instagram The couple's 'toxic' romance, pals say, took its toll on the ex Premier League striker - who's gone through one of the toughest years of his life yet. Despite the painful break-up, it's hoped this - and his recent return to England playing for Dagenham & Redbridge - will be the fresh start Andy needs to get back to being himself. An insider told The Sun: 'Behind all the glitz and glamour on social media, Andy's been really going through it. 'He was recently on a family holiday with Lou and his parents, talking about the future now he's back home in England. 'It's undeniable that Andy misses parts of how his life once was. "He's become dependent on Lou who has undoubtedly been there for him, but everyone can see they don't bring out the best in each other. 'It's been very toxic for a long time, which Andy's loved ones have seen first-hand. 'They've been worried about the dynamics of their relationship. They like Lou, but little things would often turn into big arguments. 'It came from a place of passionate, intense love, as there's so much deep feeling there between them, but ultimately it just doesn't work. 'Their fallouts in public would cause a scene. So much so, the police were even called out in Mykonos. 'Everyone who loves Andy just wants him to get back to himself, in a happy and more stable place.' Ex-England star Andy Carroll DUMPS Lou Teasdale after police quiz over boozy rows as he tells pals he's 'sick' of her Holiday drama The ex-couple got together weeks after he split from Towie star Billi, mum to three of his five kids, in summer 2024. But they called it quits two months after Andy was twice-quizzed by cops over drunken bust-ups with Lou on the Greek party island of Mykonos. He was warned after their first argument at a beachside restaurant, then taken to the police station after a second row at their hotel that evening. Andy was not arrested, and it is understood that no further action was taken. Yesterday, we told of their fiery break-up after their clashing lifestyles reached boiling point. Sources said teetotal Lou would prefer Andy to quit drinking - and hoped to work through their issues. 5 Andy poses with Lou Teasdale at his signing on a free transfer for non-league side Dagenham & Redbridge in July Credit: Ian Whittaker 5 The footballer is back playing in England after leaving France Credit: Getty She slapped down reports that her friends 'hated' Andy - insisting they had nothing but love for the former Newcastle footballer. 'Nasty and not true', said Lou - who counts pop star Harry Styles as a close pal - in a post on Instagram. The celebrity make-up artist was wiped off Andy's social media before news of their split broke. But she has kept loved-up snaps of them together on Instagram - even though he unfollowed her. Our source added: "Andy has been adamant that he just wants to focus on football and his kids. "But he still has so much love for Lou, so friends are worried they'll both be dragged back into the toxic relationship. "They're both taking time to work out their next steps. Andy needs to find what makes him truly content and happy."
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
What really happened at Kate Forbes' Fringe interview
We always thought The Herald's run of events at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe might spark a bit of debate — but we weren't expecting anything quite like this. Instead, we've found ourselves a reluctant party in this year's big festival censorship row. On Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported that Summerhall Arts had issued an apology to other performers for the 'oversight' of allowing Kate Forbes to be interviewed onstage as part of our Unspun Live podcast. They also said the venue set up a 'safe room' for performers upset by the Deputy First Minister's presence in the building. Actually, it was a 'designated relaxed space'. We know this, because they also sent the apology to us too. Just to be clear, the venue knew back in April that we'd booked Kate Forbes to appear as a guest at Unspun Live. The first we heard there might be an issue was last Tuesday — two days before she was due to appear on stage and be interviewed by me. At a meeting, we were told some artists had complained to management. There were fears about 'hate speech' and anxiety around the sort of audience Ms Forbes might attract to the venue. They said they were worried about the questions she might asked by that audience. As far as we were concerned, this was our event — and we were determined to run it the same way we would any other. The same way we ran the events with John Swinney and Anas Sarwar. On the night, we were steeling ourselves for some sort of protest or disruption, but as far as we know, in the end there was nothing more than a bit of graffiti in the toilets: 'Summerhall platforms transphobic, anti-abortion, homophobic polititian (sic) Kate Forbes.' In that emailed apology to all companies, the venue made clear that Ms Forbes would 'be in the Dissection Room in the Summerhall building today at 5pm for an interview until 6.30pm, after which she will leave immediately.' They went on to say Unspun Live was booked in by them before the line-up of interviewees was confirmed — but that they 'should have considered the likelihood of her being booked to attend, and the understandable upset it would cause'. 'We apologise unreservedly for not notifying you all sooner — we should have done,' they added. They said their main concern was that 'cancelling the event could pose significant additional risk to the safety and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ artists, staff and audiences by attracting those who share Kate Forbes' views outside of these walls to Summerhall, and as such the interview will take place as scheduled, with all proceeds from the event donated to a local LGBTQ+ charity.' Summerhall said they had 'work to do to repair the damage from this oversight'. 'At this stage, we can guarantee that we will be writing robust, proactive inclusion and wellbeing policies that prevent this from happening again.' We got through the night and, even though it was always likely the story would get out, we were — at that point — content to leave it there and move on. Aside from the Kate Forbes disagreement our working relationship with Summerhall and particularly the people who worked on our show was good. But it feels important to say something. Summerhall told us they did not want to cancel. Nor did they ask us to cancel. I mentioned this on stage last week, and went on to say that for the avoidance of any doubt, if they had asked to cancel, we would have said no — and that we stood by our decision to invite the DFM, and were very happy she said yes. Debate, challenge and the exchange of difficult ideas should be at the heart of the Fringe. They were certainly, I hope, at the heart of Unspun Live.
