Bondagers review performances as tough as the female farm workers lives by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghLu Kemp captures the swirling impressionism and understated feminist rage of Sue Glovers play about life on a 19th-century Borders farm Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:28am on October 27, 2014☆⚑

The Gamblers review Gogols conmen transformed into women by Mark Fisher

Despite a strong ensemble spirit and fluid production, an all-female cast offer no insights into male behaviour Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:58am on October 24, 2014☆⚑

Three Sisters review beautifully controlled Chekhov in Scotland by Mark Fisher

Tron, GlasgowJohn Byrnes adaptation, transforming the sisters into an English military family in small-town Scotland, is loaded with fine performances Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:22am on October 9, 2014☆⚑

Outlying Islands review men from the ministry hear the call of the wild by Mark Fisher

Tower Mill, Heart of HawickThe spirit of The Tempest haunts David Greigs absorbing tale of a Hebridean island at the outbreak of the second world war Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:52am on October 1, 2014☆⚑

Hamlet review Dominic Hill focuses on a familys destruction by Mark Fisher

Citizens theatre, GlasgowThis cold war-era production vividly captures an ordinary mans struggle against a corrupt society Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:28am on September 29, 2014☆⚑

Kill Johnny Glendenning review barbarity meets machine-gun hilarity by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghDC Jacksons drama about an investigative reporter embroiled in a gangland feud is long on laughs but lacks satirical incisiveness Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:28am on September 25, 2014☆⚑

Still Game Live review theatre on an extraordinary scale by Mark Fisher

SSE Hydro, GlasgowEven in the posh seats, it feels more like being at a rally, but Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill transform the energy in this vast room into something special Continue readi…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 9:05am on September 22, 2014☆⚑

The Glass Menagerie review a tender take on Tennessee Williams by Mark Fisher

Dundee RepJemima Levick and a strong cast deliver a self-conscious but touching revival of Williams's southern domestic drama Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:20am on September 9, 2014☆⚑

Ubu and the Truth Commission review exploring post-apartheid South Africa with puppets by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghThe South African puppeteers famed for their work on War Horse deliver a fascinating reframing of Alfred Jarry's Ubu Roi Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 6:46am on August 29, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh 2014 review: Helen Lawrence film-noir tricks make a hollow stage experience by Mark Fisher

King's, EdinburghThis B-movie yarn of corrupt cops and backstreet gamblers is neither one thing nor another Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:44am on August 25, 2014☆⚑

Edinburgh festival 2014: Andy Bell succumbs to the lure of the fringe by Mark Fisher

Like the Pet Shop Boys and Marc Almond before him, the Erasure singer is taking to the stage but he insists Torsten the Bareback Saint is not the sign of a midlife crisis Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:34am on August 6, 2014☆⚑

Beowulf review all the violence and excitement of an action movie by Mark Fisher

Tron, GlasgowA Greek chorus of narrators exploits Seamus Heaney's robust text for every bit of its narrative drive in this dramatic reading Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:24am on July 31, 2014☆⚑

The Tin Forest review rich, desolate blend of art, puppetry and folk music by Mark Fisher

South Rotunda, GlasgowThis gorgeously detailed promenade performance evokes a spooky, lonely world to tell a tale of post-industrial regeneration Continue reading...

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:39am on July 29, 2014☆⚑

News Just in review Commonwealth Games satire goes hell for leather by Mark Fisher

The Arches, GlasgowRandom Accomplice's marathon effort takes a swipe at the city's festivities, creating a new play about the day's sporting efforts every eveningIf you're on the streets of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:16am on July 23, 2014☆⚑

In My Father's Words review sophisticated dementia drama by Mark Fisher

Tron, GlasgowThis well-acted story of a man caring for his ageing father shows men on 'two sides of the same rain'There is only a short distance between Dr Louis Bennett and his elderly fath…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 7:33am on July 1, 2014☆⚑

Perfect Days review Liz Lochhead's play has lost its humour by Mark Fisher

Pitlochry Festival theatreThis account of Scotland's 90s aspirational generation emerges today as a sober family dramaThe hair salon co-owned by Barbs Marshall in Liz Lochhead's midlife-cris…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:49am on June 10, 2014☆⚑

Grit: The Martyn Bennett Story review this tribute's beats pack punch by Mark Fisher

Tramway, GlasgowCora Bissett's tribute to Martyn Bennett captures the open-ended excitement of his music, saving the narrative from banality It begins in darkness. Through brief bursts of li…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:03pm on June 5, 2014☆⚑

Woman in Mind review tremendous production of Alan Ayckbourn's drama by Mark Fisher

Dundee RepA funny and unsettling vision of mental ill health, with a superb central performance from Meg FraserI recently spent a week in a hotel in Eastbourne. At the end of my stay, I felt…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 12:19pm on May 25, 2014☆⚑

Pressure review a highly watchable D-Day action-adventure yarn by Mark Fisher

Royal Lyceum, EdinburghMeteorology has never been so compelling as in David Haig's real-life drama about the weatherman making predictions about the second world war Normandy invasionWe're w…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:43am on May 16, 2014☆⚑

The Libertine review a swaggering, gutsy look at royal decadence by Mark Fisher

Citizens theatre, GlasgowMartin Hutson plays 17th-century satirist John Wilmot in Dominic Hill's refreshing, stripped-back productionWhen Jacob Huysmans painted John Wilmot, second Earl of R…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:04am on May 8, 2014☆⚑

Uncle Varick review Chekhov's Vanya transposed to the swinging 60s by Mark Fisher

Howden Park centre, LivingstonChekhov's characters encounter the Beatles, pop art and mini-skirts in rural ScotlandAnton Chekhov's plays are populated with characters burdened by a sense of …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:44am on May 6, 2014☆⚑

Dear Scotland review a portrait of the independence debate by Mark Fisher

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, EdinburghAn invigorating collaboration with the NTS sees writers giving passionate voice to artworks of Scottish establishment figuresRobert Burns says yo…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:35am on April 29, 2014☆⚑

The Forbidden Experiment review a multimedia Pandora's box by Mark Fisher

Arches, GlasgowTheatre company Enormous Yes present a serious study of transgression and redemption centred on a Scottish islandInchkeith is an island in the Firth of Forth, a short distance…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 11:51am on April 24, 2014☆⚑

Cars and Boys review A dreamlike play that never ceases to grip. by Mark Fisher

Dundee Rep theatreStuart Paterson's free-form poem of a play about an ailing woman reflecting on her life is more evocation than drama, and it deftly avoids the maudlinImagine a bedbound Pee…

SOURCE: The Guardian at 10:48am on April 22, 2014☆⚑

The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler review 'A big grin of a show' by Mark Fisher

Citizens theatre, GlasgowSandy Grierson's performance is the tribute of a true devotee in this marvellous musical, as embraceable as the man himself Ivor Cutler: 'He didn't live by the same …

SOURCE: The Guardian at 8:07am on April 21, 2014☆⚑