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Scotsman
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The Scotsman's 2025 Edinburgh Festival coverage: everything you need to know
The Scotsman has been proud to cover the Edinburgh festivals since they began in 1947, and as the festivals have grown, our coverage has grown too. We are not aware of any other daily newspaper, anywhere in the world, which produces a greater volume of professional arts criticism in a single month than we do in a typical August. This summer, we're planning to bring you as much of the magic as we possibly can via our team of specialist writers. You can find out more about our reviewers below. Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... From Saturday 2 August 2025, as the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe get under way, we will once again be publishing our daily Festival guides in The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday, packed with interviews, features, reviews and more, and later in the month we'll be adding our usual comprehensive coverage of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Edinburgh Art Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. We'll also be celebrating the best new writing on the Fringe with our long-running Fringe First Awards, sponsored this year by Queen Margaret University. First established in 1973 by former Scotsman arts editor Allen Wright, the awards have since helped launch countless careers. You can find out more about how the awards work here. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Before all that, we'll be covering the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, which runs from 11-20 July, and we'll be publishing a whole host of preview coverage to help our readers navigate the world's biggest arts happening. Edinburgh's Royal Mile during August: never a dull moment | Getty Images If you'd like regular updates from this year's festivals delivered direct to your inbox, during August our twice weekly Arts & Culture newsletter will be going daily. You can sign up for free at And if you're not already a Scotsman subscriber, it's now easier than ever to take out a digital subscription. For just £6.99 per month for our Value package or £12.99 for our Premium package, which includes access to our digital app and ad-free articles, you can get unlimited access to our award-winning journalism and unrivalled festival coverage. For a limited time only, we're offering a three-month trial of our Value package for just £1 per month for three months. Check out our full range of offers and bundles here. Whether you're planning to be in Edinburgh this August or not, we hope you enjoy our coverage of the world's biggest arts festival. Roger Cox, Arts Editor REVIEWER BIOGRAPHIES Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kelly Apter is an arts journalist based in Edinburgh. She has been The Scotsman's dance critic since 2000, and also writes for The List magazine, is a regular guest on BBC Radio Scotland's Review show, and is a mentor for emerging dance writers at Aerowaves' Spring Forward festival. Josephine Balfour-Oatts is a freelance arts journalist and editor. Based in Edinburgh, she regularly contributes as a critic to The Skinny and the Times Literary Supplement, with a particular focus on experimental performance, and theatre-based texts. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MSc in Creative Writing in 2021, and is currently preparing to begin a PhD in English Literature, also at the University of Edinburgh, in 2024. Ariane Branigan is a freelance theatre reviewer based in Edinburgh, and a previous winner of the Fringe Young Writers Award. This is her fourth Fringe writing for The Scotsman. Alexander Cohen is a theatre and opera critic. He has been published in The Stage, The Fence, and Broadway World. He was longlisted for the 2024 Observer/Anthony Burgess Prize for Arts Journalism. At 24 he is the youngest member of the UK Critics' Circle Drama Section. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kate Copstick first reviewed for The Scotsman in 1999. Since then she has written on comedy and the arts for everyone from the Observer to the Erotic Review. She has sat on judging panels for So You Think You're Funny, The (then) Perrier Award and was part of the inaugural panel of judges on the Malcolm Hardee Award. Ashley Davies is a freelance arts journalist with 25 years of experience on national newspapers. She specialises in comedy interviews and reviews, and has been a judge on a number of competitions, including the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Andrew Eaton-Lewis has been Edinburgh festivals editor for The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday since 2014 when he left a long-running job as group arts editor for both publications to begin a freelance career. He has since worked as a festival director & programmer, theatre producer, musician, writer and PR consultant; his main focus is supporting artists to develop new creative projects. Rory Ford is a freelance arts and lifestyle journalist who since 1990 has covered Edinburgh's festivals for The Scotsman, the Edinburgh News and the List as a reviewer, editor and news reporter. He also featured in Jon Ronson's 'Critical Condition', a Channel 4 documentary about the 1997 Perrier Awards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jim Gilchrist is an Edinburgh-based freelance writer, for many years a staff features and arts writer and columnist with The Scotsman, to which he still contributes a regular folk and jazz music column as well as reviews. He wrote the Scottish section of Celtic Music (ed. Kenny Mathieson), and co-edited, with Dr Stuart Eydmann, Dolina: An Island Girl's Journey, the memoir of Gaelic singer, actress and broadcaster Dolina Maclennan. Alistair Harkness is a freelance film critic, feature writer, Q&A host, lecturer and broadcaster based in Glasgow. He got his start working the red carpet beat for Empire and began writing about film for The Scotsman in 2002, becoming its main critic in 2005. He can frequently be heard talking about film on BBC Radio and has hosted live Q&As with filmmakers, actors and artists for organisations such as BAFTA, Glasgow Film and Sonica. David Hepburn is a lifestyle journalist writing for The Scotsman and Edinburgh Evening News. He has attended the various Edinburgh festivals for the last 30 years and has previously reviewed for a number of publications including Fringe Report and Fest Magazine. David Kettle has more than 25 years' experience in music and arts journalism, including ten years at BBC Music Magazine, two years as editor at London's South Bank Centre and four years at The Strad magazine. He writes music criticism for The Scotsman and The Daily Telegraph, edits educational resources for Music Teacher magazine, and was programme editor for Scottish Opera and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Duncan Macmillan is Professor Emeritus of the History of Scottish Art at the University of Edinburgh and former curator of Edinburgh's Talbot Rice Gallery. He writes art criticism for The Scotsman, and is author of Painting in Scotland: the Golden Age, Scottish Art 1460-1990 and Scottish Art in the 20th Century. Carol Main is director of Live Music Now Scotland and Live Music Now International Development (UK) as well as a freelance music journalist. She served almost 20 years as a board director of Edinburgh Festival Fringe and received a Herald Archangel at the 2002 Edinburgh Festival. Carol was awarded an MBE in 2015 for services to music. In April 2021, she was appointed as a member of the board of Creative Scotland. Susan Mansfield is a freelance arts writer, Scotsman art and theatre critic and a member of The Scotsman's Fringe First Awards team. She is also a published poet, winner of the Jack Clemo Poetry Prize 2018, and author, along with Alastair Moffat, of The Great Tapestry of Scotland: The Making of a Masterpiece. Mary Miller began her career as a concert violinist, before becoming music editor for Scotland´s national newspaper, a prominent broadcaster and festival programmer. She established and was general and artistic director of Bergen National Opera from 2010-21, and she will lead the national celebrations for St Giles 900 in 2024. She continues to work internationally as a writer, speaker and mentor on cultural policy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Joyce McMillan is The Scotsman's chief theatre critic and also writes a political and social commentary column for the paper. She has been a political and arts columnist, theatre critic and broadcaster for more than 30 years, living in Edinburgh and working for various Scottish and London-based newspapers. Fergus Morgan is an Edinburgh-based freelance arts journalist and critic, specialising in theatre. His work has appeared in The Stage, The Independent, TimeOut, WhatsOnStage, Vice, Exeunt Magazine and elsewhere, and he also publishes The Crush Bar, a popular Substack newsletter dedicated to emerging theatre artists. Susan Nickalls is music critic, a writer, editor, broadcaster and film producer based in Edinburgh. She recently graduated with an MA in Creative Writing, and is working on her first novel. David Pollock is an arts writer based in Edinburgh. He has written about theatre for the Stage, The Scotsman, the Independent, the List, the i, the Financial Times and others. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jay Richardson is a Glasgow-based freelance comedy and arts journalist, with 20 years experience covering the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the Scotsman. He also writes for British Comedy Guide, Chortle and several national newspapers and magazines and has been published in the US, Canada, Ireland and Australia. David Robinson is a freelance writer and editor, based in Edinburgh. He was Books Editor of The Scotsman and from 2000-2015, and has been a newspaper journalist all his working life. A collection of his essays and interviews titled In Cold Ink: On the Writers' Tracks was published in 2011. Fiona Shepherd is a music and arts journalist, based in Glasgow. She is the chief rock and pop critic of The Scotsman, and also writes for Scotland On Sunday, The List and Edinburgh Festivals magazine. She is co-founder and co-director of Glasgow Music City Tours and Edinburgh Music Tours, which offer guided music-themed walking tours exploring the rich musical history of both cities. Sally Stott is a freelance writer. She has covered the Edinburgh Festival for the Scotsman for the past 15 years, read and written scripts for the BBC, and won and been shortlisted for various awards as a theatre reviewer, comedy writer and travel journalist. She also helps architects, artists and academics to develop and edit their writing. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
The Future of Edinburgh – Find all articles in the series here
Follow along with all articles here. Day One Edinburgh is a growing city, drawing millions of tourists, and facing multiple challenges from housing to transport. Our series looks at its future The so-called jewel in the capital's crown is awash with scaffolding for major redevelopments. Does this mean it's 'fixed' as some suggest? To show what's happening with Princes Street – and what's coming next – The Herald has built an interactive map highlighting the big changes. Edinburgh's population is growing three times faster than any other Scottish city – but can the capital's crumbling infrastructure cope? The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society's new chief executive has pledged to rebuild the relationship with venues as he admitted there had been a breakdown of trust in recent years. The new figurehead for Edinburgh's festivals has warned they are at risk of 'stagnation' unless they can attract new investment. The Edinburgh International Festival has called for a major rethink over its future funding as it revealed a multi-million pound gap in its spending plans. Best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith on why Edinburgh – and the other large Scottish cities – remain good places to live. Trouble has been brewing around Edinburgh's next tramline since a new north-south plan was announced.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Tourist tax targeted as Edinburgh festivals raise 'stagnation' fears
She suggested some were still in a 'precarious' position despite securing new long-term Scottish Government funding earlier this year. Read more: In an exclusive interview with The Herald, Ms Anderson suggested that Edinburgh's proposed new visitor levy - which will be introduced just before next year's summer festivals - was a 'huge opportunity' to help event organisers move from 'survival mode to thriving". Ms Anderson is the third director of the organisation Festivals Edinburgh, which was launched in 2007 to help secure the capital's status as the world's leading 'festival city". Lori Anderson is the director of Festivals Edinburgh. (Image: Colin Mearns) Ms Anderson works with 11 of the city's annual festivals, including the Edinburgh International Festival, the Fringe, the Tattoo, Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations, and the city's celebrations of jazz, film, visual art, science, storytelling, children's entertainment and books. Ms Anderson revealed that the 'scale and ambition' of some festival programmes had already had to be reduced as a result of lower-than-hoped-for Scottish Government funding, particularly for this year's events. Lori Anderson is director of Festivals Edinburgh. (Image: Colin Mearns) She suggested that the new Scottish Government funding deals announced by its arts agency, Creative Scotland, in January had not reversed the impact of prolonged standstill funding, which dated back as far as the 2008 global financial crash. Ms Anderson said: 'Edinburgh's festivals are finally in a more stable position after been in crisis mode for a good few years now with significant budget cuts, the pandemic and negotiating Brexit. 'But most of the festivals did not get as much as they wanted for their multi-year funding programmes and the timing of the announcement was much later than expected, which is making 2025 a difficult year. A number of festivals have had to adjust their scale and ambition of their programmes. The Edinburgh International Book Festival relocated last year to a new home at the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. Picture: Edinburgh International Book Festival 'Looking ahead to the future, they are really at a bit of a crossroads now. They have a bit of stability at the moment, but their funding is always precarious and always a challenge.' The Scottish Government committed an additional £40m for Creative Scotland's multi-year funding programme, however this is being rolled out over two years. The Edinburgh International Festival's annual funding has increased from £2.3m to £3.25m this year, with a further £1m increase to come in 2026-27. The book festival's annual funding will has gone up from £306,000 to £520,000 this year and will rise a further £160,000 next year, while the art festival's funding is going up from £100,000 to £130,000 then £170,000 over the same period. Two of the city's most high-profile festivals, the Fringe and Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival, do not have long-term funding from the Scottish Government or Creative Scotland. Texan rope performer 'Duke Loopin' on the Royal Mile during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Picture: Gordon Terris Ms Anderson added: 'Creative Scotland's funding announcement was really welcome, but that doesn't mean that everyone is really settled now. 'The fire-fighting has subdued a bit and it has provided a bit of stability, but some of the festivals are still in quite a precarious position. The Edinburgh International Film Festival has been running since 1947. 'I think the two directions the festivals could go in from this crossroads moment are either stagnation or ambition. 'There are some opportunities ahead which mean they can start to think more about their future ambitions now, a couple of years ahead of their 80th anniversary. Lori Anderson is director of Festivals Edinburgh. (Image: Colin Mearns) 'We don't want to see the stagnation of the festivals. We want to see them thrive and not just be in survival mode.' Edinburgh's long-planned visitor levy, which is also known as a 'tourist tax,' will be introduced by the city council just days before the main summer festival season gets underway in 2026. Anyone booking accommodation from October 1 will be liable to pay the new five per cent levy, which will be capped for visits of up to five nights. The council, which has predicted the new levy will raise up to £50m a year by 2028, and has pledged that it will be 'reinvested directly into initiatives that benefit residents and enhance visitor experiences.' Ms Anderson described the visitor levy as a 'really exciting opportunity' to secure the future of the festivals. But she warned there was a risk of the city 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' if event organisers and their artists had to pay the extra charge but did not see it reinvested in the festivals. Ms Anderson said: 'The festivals are really entrepreneurial when it comes to looking at creative ways to raise income and being financially sustainable. 'The big challenge for them at the moment is around the cost of doing business in Edinburgh. 'It is an expensive place to live, work and visit and to put on a festival. In particular, there are very high accommodation costs at the moment. 'Visitors, performers and festivals that support the accommodation costs of their artists will have to pay the visitor levy when it comes in. 'But I think it's actually a really exciting opportunity. It's a huge moment for Edinburgh to think holistically and have significant investment across the whole city. It's a moment to be looking forward to and planning for. 'We would hope that, given the contribution that the festivals make to the city, some of the visitor levy income would come back to them, otherwise it would just be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.' Under the council's current spending plans, 35% of the money raised via the levy will be ringfenced for culture, heritage and events, although detailed proposals have not yet been agreed by councillors. Ms Anderson said: 'A lot of the festivals are keen to look at investing in their programmes. It could make a huge difference to enable longer-term planning. 'But there is also a huge opportunity to take a strategic approach to the whole city. 'We could see some really exciting projects to the fore to improve infrastructure and connectivity around the city and really help to invest in our cultural organisations, venues and attractions. There's lots to be looking forward to there.' Ms Anderson said the long-term funding secured by many of Edinburgh's festivals earlier this year needed to be the 'start of a new conversation' about how they are supported by the Scottish and UK governments, and the city council. She added: 'Edinburgh's festivals make a huge contribution socially, culturally and economically to Edinburgh, Scotland and the UK. We need to value them and support them with the resources that are needed to maintain and develop them. 'The festivals are second only in scale to an Olympic Games. You have to think about the support and resources are put into an Olympic Games. The festivals have survived for nearly 80 years. They're something that the city, Scotland and the whole of the UK should be incredibly proud of. They're a huge asset, which makes a really significant social, economic and cultural contribution. 'They are joyful, they are inspirational, they are diverse, they happen all year round and they change year-on-year. 'We want to see them supported in order to take forward their ambitions, to continue to represent Scotland and be something that we are incredibly proud of.'
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh International Festival reveals new budget blow
They have admitted they are facing 'big questions' over what form future editions will take, despite securing record funding of £11.75m. Read more: The festival has warned that some of its future plans may have to be dropped or put back as a result of its funding settlement, which was almost £6m lower than hoped for. The shortfall, which has emerged after months after a scaled-back programme was announced for this year's event, has left the festival 'doing a lot of number crunching' for future editions, according to its chief executive. Francesca Hegyi has declared that a significant effort is needed from the festival's key funders to 'stabilise and consolidate' the event, adding that it had been left to struggle with 'suboptimal' levels of public funding for years. Dancers from across Africa appeared in the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival show The Rite of Spring. (Image: Maarten Vanden Abeele)She said the 78-year-old event was only just emerging from a period of 'huge instability and insecurity' which had left it 'stuck in first gear' for years. Ms Hegyi suggested the business model of the event and the way decisions are made on its funding needed to change if the festival's long-term ambitions are to be realised. Francesca Hegyi is chief executive of the Edinburgh International Festival. (Image: Gordon Terris/Herald & Times) She said the festival had been forced to operate with a 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over the event because its future funding has been so uncertain. She said the 78-year-old event was only just emerging from a period of 'huge instability and insecurity' which had left it 'stuck in first gear' for years. Opera-Comique performed the opera Carmen at the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival. Picture: Andrew Perry Ms Hegyi suggested the business model of the event and the way decisions are made on its funding needed to change if the festival's long-term ambitions are to be realised. She said the festival had been forced to operate with a 'Sword of Damocles' hanging over the event because its future funding has been so uncertain. Edinburgh International Festival chief executive Francesca Hegyi. Picture: Gordon Terris She called for a faster roll-out of further new investment in festivals which has been promised by the Scottish Government and urged Edinburgh City Council to ringfence some of the income expected to be generated by its forthcoming 'visitor levy' is re-invested in improving the experience of visitors to its cultural events. The EIF was by far the biggest recipient of Scottish Government funding when Creative Scotland revealed a long-delayed new multi-year spending programme in January. The announcement saw a record 251 festivals, venues and organisations secure three-year funding deals, 141 of which had previously only had annual funding. However a £40m increase in the government budget for the long-term funding programme is being rolled out over two years. The EIF is thought to have applied to Creative Scotland for almost £18m for its 2026, 2027 and 2028 programmes. Its annual core funding has increased from £2.3m a year £11.75m for the next three years - £3.25m in this financial year, then £4.25m for both 2026-7 and 2027-8. However Ms Hegyi pointed out that the festival had been kept on 'standstill' funding for 17 years before the increased support was confirmed in January. Creative Scotland's announcement, made after a scale-down programme for year's EIF programme had been finalised, was delayed by several months after the government refused to allocate a budget to its arts agency for its first round of 'multi-year funding' decisions since 2018. Ms Hegyi told The Herald: 'It feels like we are on a firmer footing now. We have greater certainty now than we have had for a very long time. 'We were on standstill funding for 17 years and that was only ever confirmed year on year. We have always had a sort of Sword of Damocles hanging over us. 'The multi-year funding settlement has given us a degree of stability and the ability to look further ahead than the next 12 months. That is just critical for us because we plan up to five years in advance and can make more commitments now. 'We are feeling more optimistic and that allows us to be a bit more confident. We are thinking about how we can capitalise on that. It feels like the foundation stone has gone back in and we can build on it. 'We didn't get everything that we asked for over the next three years and that is a challenge in itself. We got about 65% of what we asked for over. That has left us with some really big questions to answer. 'We were encouraged to put forward our ambitions for the next period, which we did. Now we can only deliver two thirds of that plan, or we have to figure out a way of meeting that gap. 'We are doing a lot of number crunching on what does that mean and what gives.' Ms Hegyi said the festival's spending plans had focused on maintaining quality and international competitiveness, being as accessible as we can possibly be, and securing the audiences and artists of the future. 'They all rely on one another. It's quite a complicated Jenga tower that we are building all the time. That's why the foundation is so important. 'We are now looking at how we flex our plans to still speak to all of those ambitions that we have got, but perhaps phase them in a different way, or make some choices about what we can or can't do now. 'We are going through a process of going: 'We want to be here. We have got this much. How do we bring it together?' The Scottish Government has ringfenced £4m from a promised £34m in new arts funding for the current financial year for festivals across Scotland. However ministers have also created a 'strategic partnership for festivals,' which involves the government agencies EventScotland, VisitScotland Creative Scotland, to help decide how the new investment is allocated. Ms Hegyi said: 'I really hope we don't miss an opportunity here. I really hope that we collectively take the opportunity to look at what is needed structurally, organisationally, reputationally and ambitiously, rather than defaulting back to some of the ways we have done funding schemes in the past. 'There is a really loud ask from parts of the cultural sector for stabilisation. There is a lot of work to be done stabilise festivals and other arts organisations so that we can take the opportunity to breathe and then plan for growth. 'We've got to do that work to ask what it will take to be organisationally sustainable over the next few years. Investing in that is really important. 'My real hope is that we take the challenge of stabilising the business of culture really seriously, because that is what is needed right now. 'The people who know best what is needed to ensure that festivals thrive and grow are the festivals and organisations themselves. It is about asking each of us what we need.' Ms Hegyi said a key priority for the EIF was ensuring that decision on its future funding were made far earlier. She said: 'The challenge is that the deadline that festivals are on can't move. We have to make decisions about what happens in future whether funding streams have been confirmed or not. 'Sometimes, whether it is the Scottish Government or Creative Scotland, they could perhaps try to understand the pressures we are under to make operational decisions in a timely manner. 'Funding decisions don't always align with cultural planning decisions. It's the job of people who run festivals to try to manage that. Sometimes it gets really challenging when delays happen. 'If we can get to a point where we have multi-year commitments and they get confirmed in good time that would be something to aim for. What is not helpful is getting a funding settlement in April for an August festival. That just doesn't work for us. It's far too late.' Edinburgh's festivals have spent several years lobbying the Scottish Government to give the city's annual cultural celebration 'mega event' status. Ms Hegyi said: 'The footprint of Edinburgh's festivals is far bigger than just Edinburgh or even Scotland. They are almost by definition international events. 'Whether it has an official designation or not, Edinburgh is a mega-event. I don't quite understand the argument that says 'no, you're not.' 'It would be great to think about how each of those layers of government could make the most of the fact we have this global mega event and be strategic about it.' Ms Hegyi said she was optimistic that progress would be made through a new festivals leadership group involving Edinburgh City Council, the Scottish and UK governments, and representatives of the city's major cultural events. She added: 'We've been having some really useful discussions on where things go in future. 'This group has the right people around the table, everybody is very solutions-focused and recognises there are challenges, not least with accommodation, transport and other practical infrastructure challenges, but also that we have a real asset that we need to maintain and make the most of it. 'There is a degree of comfort that everybody takes from the longevity of the festivals. 'There isn't the same degree of mobilisation of public agencies or government around the festivals. 'That is why we are arguing for 'mega event' status, to enable us all to work better together, relieve some of the pressures on pinch points in the city and take a properly strategic view of what goes on, in the same that you would when the Commonwealth Games or Tour de France comes to Scotland. I really hope that is where we end up.' Ms Hegyi said she believed that Edinburgh's proposed visitor levy, which is expected to be applied to accommodation bookings in the city from July 2026, had 'fantastic' potential if the income it raises is 'applied intelligently.' She added: 'There are certainly things around the city's infrastructure, such as the cleanliness of the streets and signage, that could really be improved to enhance everybody's experience. 'What I would love to see, if the festival does receive any funding from it, is that it can be used to consolidate what we do rather than forever inventing new things. There is a requirement in almost every funding stream that funds need to be spent on something additional or new. 'What we actually need is a period of consolidation, making what we have got better, rather than having to create new things. 'People are already coming here in large numbers for something that is clearly of value to them. There is a valuing of the new over improving the existing that I think we need to really come to terms with.'
Times
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The Fifth Step review — Jack Lowden is staggeringly good
Less is definitely more. When I saw this David Ireland two-hander at the Edinburgh International Festival last summer, I couldn't help feeling that Ireland, a writer who loves shock tactics — think how Ulster American, which was revived in London not so long ago with Woody Harrelson, ends in a bloodbath — had thrown in too many extraneous elements. The revised version at London's Sohoplace is leaner and all the more compelling. It certainly helps that the director, Finn den Hertog, an associate artist at the National Theatre of Scotland, gets such intense performances out of the Slow Horses star Jack Lowden and Martin Freeman (replacing Sean Gilder, who was equally impressive in Edinburgh). Lowden is staggeringly good as a young loner, Luka, all jitters and tics and swear words, who is trying to pull himself out of an alcoholic spiral. Freeman impresses too as James, the adviser who is trying to help his protégé through the 12-step programme to sobriety. What emerges is no conventional tale of overcoming adversity but a morally ambiguous account of shifting power dynamics. When the two men begin their casual conversations, armed with cups of coffee, it seems that James is firmly fixed in the role of the rational older protector who fought his own demons long ago. We get the impression that Luka, who longs to have a woman in his life, could well be swapping booze for a kind of religious mania. In his programme notes, Ireland explains that he went to Alcoholics Anonymous in his twenties. And after years of considering himself an atheist, he had a religious reawakening during lockdown. It's fitting that the play opens with a spartan recording of a heart-on-sleeve ballad by Johnny Cash, an artist who had his own battles with faith. Lowden presents us with a man whose mind is running at speed but going nowhere, like a car stuck in neutral. Freeman takes on the challenge of digging into an apparently unflappable character who only slowly reveals his inner thoughts. • Read more theatre reviews, guides and interviews By the end, we're much less sure that James has the upper hand. Luka confronts his sense of shame, sometimes in comically brutish language (his definition of marriage is having 'pussy on tap'). What we see of James's inner life begins to seem less serene than we first thought. Ireland conveys all this through memorably jagged exchanges bathed in redeeming black humour. The Edinburgh production featured an elaborate revolving set. Things are much simpler at the in-the-round Sohoplace: the two actors roam a space littered with only a handful of chairs and a small table. Ireland has also jettisoned a climactic scene in which James ends up in hospital. The result is simpler yet freighted with a greater sense of unease. Things are left unsaid, and that, paradoxically, gives us more to ponder.★★★★☆90minTo Jul 26, Follow @timesculture to read the latest reviews
