Articles by Gillian Bain

BUTCHERED

Not for the faint of heart or light of stomach, Butchered takes its audience into an absurdist descent of meat and madness.

Stuntman

Stuntman is a high-action piece of physical theatre mixed with reflective storytelling and real heart.

Wild Onion

Grief is such a powerful and universal part of the human experience.

Burning Down The Horse

One hundred brave (or not so brave) Trojan Soldiers are trapped inside the infamous giant wooden horse, plotting their escape….

Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard's Tale

Conspiracy theories can sometimes be reduced to light hearted niche interests only fully embraced by weirdos on the fringes of society.

M.E.H

As recently as the early 20th century it was not uncommon for women to be medically diagnosed with “hysteria”.

Girl Scouts vs Aliens

If there was an alien invasion of planet earth who would you want to represent the human race? Politicians, David Attenborough, The cast and crew of Stranger Things? What about a g…

The Desk

A dimly lit stage, five women and their leader, to whom they will give everything until there is nothing left to give: this is the basic set-up for Reetta Honkakoski Company’s ca…

Queer Words

Three performers on stage present an intriguing blend of poetry and dance.

Pussy Riot: Riot Days

It’s very rare that you go to ‘the theatre’ and feel as though you are witnessing a moment in history; with Riot Days, Pussy Riot successfully creates this feeling.

The Unbinding

This was one of the most remarkable striking and uncomfortable productions that I have seen in a long time.

On the Exhale

“You always thought it would be you”.

The Turn of the Screw

In Underbelly’s Big Belly, the slow dripping from a leak in the roof onto the stage has never been a more apt presence in a production.

The Egg Is a Lonely Hunter

Single person monologues have long been a fringe staple, but nevertheless they are incredibly difficult to successfully pull off.

Meek

The Traverse Festival program has jumped into action, already selling out full days' worth of shows at a time.

Seagulls

In Seagulls, visuals are everything.

Egg

We all know Edinburgh Festival Fringe is filled with bizarre acts and Idea.

Descent

Good theatre should make you feel something and by that definition alone, this was great theatre.

Bombastic Declaration of Love – Julie Cafmeyer

There is nothing more personal that the truth, and to present the truth of stage is an invariably brave act.

Wanna Dance With Somebody! Or, A Guide To Managing Social Anxiety Using Theoretical Physics

With one of the longest titles you’ll come across it feels as though this show will have a lot to unpack.

Scribbles

Review
★★★★
Gillian Bain
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
9th Aug, 2017

There was something strangely liberating about taking the dark topic of alcoholism and giving it absolutely no reverence.

Tom and Bunny Save the World

The novelty musical gets its fair share of traction over the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Fat Rascal Theatre are attempting to stake their claim as rulers of the field.

Viggo Venn – The Life of Pepito

Viggo Venn’s act is a hard one to categorise.

The Canon: A Literary Sketch Show

This is a very silly comedy about some very serious books (and poems and plays).

Otto & Astrid: Eurosmash! (Die Roten Punkte)

Sibling duo Otto & Astrid have abandoned their punk roots in search of commercial success.

Pulled

Have you ever worked up with hazy memory of what may have happened the previous night? These two Irish lasses certainly have and it hits them with equal levels shame as it does pri…

Indie as F*ck

In a similar way to eating your mum’s homemade soup, sometimes the charm of a show can outweigh the actual content.

Ensonglopedia of Science

John Hinton is on a one man mission to make science cool.

Wereldband: Släpstick

On first viewing the stage I thought I would try and count all the instruments I could see scattered around waiting to be played.

Brothers

Performing to a deservedly sold out crowd, this piece aims to start a conversation with its audience about a topic that is too often neglected.

Speaking in Tongues: The Truths

Sometimes, just one good idea is enough to make a show a success.

Once Were Pirates

The set of this play included a fish tank with a small toy fish that swam around in it.

Lippy

The beginning and end of a show are the bits you remember, the bits that leave you feeling great or feeling thoroughly disappointed.

The Birds#1. Corpses

Alfred Hitchcock has already firmly established that birds are terrifying beyond doubt.

The Taming of the Shrew

It’s often hard to find anything particularly original about an original adaptation of any of Shakespeare’s great plays these days, but The Taming of the Shrew done in traditiona…

A Little Princess

The number of children’s shows has been increasing every year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but so much choice can make it difficult to know which show your kids are going to…

Undercover Refugee

The refugee crisis is undoubtedly difficult to discuss.

The Gayest Thing You've Ever Seen

Review
★
Gillian Bain
Edinburgh Fringe
CC Blooms
11th Aug, 2016

Claiming to be the gayest thing in a room full of LGBT people in a gay bar (although straights are welcome too) is quite the boast.

Review
★★★★★
Gillian Bain
Edinburgh Fringe
CanadaHub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall
8th Aug, 2017

Kings Hall has been taken over by Summer Hall and transformed into the Canada Hub over the festival, showcasing a series of Canadian acts exploring the issues surrounding Canada’…

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