Articles by James Beagon

The Battle of Frogs and Mice

Choosing to adapt a fairly obscure Greek text like The Battle of Frogs and Mice (also known as the Batrachomyomachia) as a storytelling show for children would be a bold choice for…

Penguinpig

There are times when a particular title will jump out at you and niggle in the back of your brain.

Rhapsodes

Back for another year, Adam Meggido and Sean McCann of Showstoppers! fame return to wow us with what is possibly the most impressive improvisational feat at the Fringe.

Julius Caesar

All-female Australian group Essential Theatre present their own gender-swapped take on Shakespeare’s classic.

The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck

You would be forgiven for thinking that a production of The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Jemima Puddle-Duck performed in a circus tent might involve people dressed up as the character…

Bacchae

Both faithful and frantic, young company Flying Pig Theatre have produced a very satisfying version of Euripides’ Bacchae with a deft touch.

The I Hate Children Children's Show

Magician Paul Nathan returns to Edinburgh once more with The I Hate Children Children’s Show for an hour of interactive magic, name-calling and the occasional glass of champagne.

The Wonderful World of Lapin

Gentle and well-meaning, The Wonderful World of Lapin is a good attempt to introduce young children to the French language.

The Gin Chronicles at Sea

Interrupt the Routine returns as 1940s radio group The Misfits of London for another highly enjoyable adventure of The Gin Chronicles.

Future Perfect

Tall Stories return to Edinburgh for their 20th birthday with an updated version of Future Perfect.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Incognito Theatre’s adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front is a solid, if predictable, production which ticks all of the necessary First World War boxes.

The Damned United

Powerful and demanding, Red Ladder Theatre Company’s production of The Damned United is every bit as belligerent and uncompromising as the protagonist of its story.

David Walliams' The First Hippo on the Moon

From the team behind Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs comes a brand new adaptation of David Walliam’s children’s book The First Hippo on the Moon.

Medea: Greece Meets West

Billed as a “psychological drama conflating classical Greek mystery with jazzical profanity”, Medea: Greece Meets West contains very little Medea and not much more jazz.

Hup

Though there are plenty of shows designed for children at the Fringe, finding shows aimed at the youngest can always be tricky.

James and the Giant Peach

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
12th Aug, 2016

UCLU Runaground’s James and the Giant Peach is a fresh, fun and frantic adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic.

Frogs

School group Centaurs of Attention have an excellent company name and a rather good Fringe show to boot.

The Gin Chronicles: A Scottish Adventure

After their great success last year, Interrupt the Routine are back with a brand new episode of The Gin Chronicles.

Metamorphoses

Ossining High School have delivered a solid and enjoyable, if somewhat flawed, production of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses.

A Midsummer Night's Dream in Gotham

A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Gotham is exactly what it says on the tin.

The Story of Mr B

ShakeShakeTheatre present the tale of a man named Bumblegrum in a quirky and enjoyable puppet show for children.

Opera Mouse

Opera Mouse is a pleasant Canadian import presented as a one-woman puppet show by Melanie Gall.

Mary Poppins

This production of Mary Poppins draws heavily from Disney’s 1964 film, but fails to conjure the same magic.

Iphigenia in Tauris

Champs Mêlés’ production of Iphigenia in Tauris is a two hour, French language translation of J.

Michael Morpurgo's King Arthur

Story Pocket Theatre bring Michael Morpurgo’s novel about King Arthur to life with a solid and enjoyable production.

Ribbet Ribbet Croak

Ribbet Ribbet Croak is a gentle and successful piece of theatre for younger children, as well as being very suitable for PMLD and ASD family groups.

The Lounge

There comes a time in most good plays when you realise you’ve become completely lost in a moment due to its sheer brilliance.

The Snail and the Whale

Joyous in every way, The Snail and the Whale by Tall Stories is a textbook example of how to do theatre for children right.

The Snow Queen

Trundling into view as part of C Theatre’s 25th anniversary is The Snow Queen.

Immaculate

Arriving fresh-faced from Dorset, young sixth-form group Harpoon present their take on Oliver Lansley’s hilarious play Immaculate.

Horse McDonald in Careful

Swapping her musical trappings for the theatre, Horse McDonald takes to the stage to present an undeniably intriguing and raw, if occasionally sensational, biopic of her own life.

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Other Tales

Lancaster Offshoots have created an enjoyable and surprisingly funny offering with their take on Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit and Other Tales.

Iphigenia In Splott

The link between Greek myth and a deprived district of Cardiff is not an obvious one, and Iphigenia in Splott raises this intriguing question tantalisingly.

Elysium Fields

Potemkin’s People is one of two shows performing on alternate nights under the joint title of Elysium Fields from B-Land Productions.

Ferdinand

Ferdinand from Tasty Monster Productions is genuinely one of the nicest productions I have seen.

Antiwords

Antiwords is a piece inspired by Václav Havel’s play Audience, featuring an awkward dialogue between a dissident playwright and a drunken brew master.

The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie is a hard play to get wrong.

Grandad and Me

The Letter J’s production of Grandad and Me is simple, moving and effective.

Francesca, Francesca...

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
Venue 13
14th Aug, 2015

Delving into the short life of 20th century photographer Francesca Woodman, Francesca, Francesca.

Carnival Medea: A Bacchanal

From Georgia State University comes a wonderful reimagining of the Medea myth, reset in the colourful trappings of Trinidad’s carnival.

Antigone Now

Part of the American High School Festival, Antigone Now is nothing if not endearing in its attempts to impress.

Horseplay – The Troy Musical

Napier University Drama Society presents a musical retelling of the Trojan War as their offering to the gods this festival.

We May Have to Choose

We May Have To Choose is a one-person show performed by Emma Hall.

The Dream Sequentialists

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
16th Aug, 2015

The Dream Sequentialists is a show about dream goblins.

The 56

The Venn diagram containing those who enjoy watching football and those who enjoy watching theatre might not have the largest overlap in the world.

Julius Caesar

Of the two offerings of Julius Caesar that the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School are offering this year, this review concerns the all-male version: a show brimming with great ideas ye…

Our Teacher's a Troll

It’s amazing how much you can get out of the word ‘Ak’ – the only word in the troll language.

The Bookbinder

Trick of the Light presents a charming and an enjoyable addition to your afternoon in the form of The Bookbinder.

I Am Beast

Returning for their fourth Fringe, Sparkle and Dark bring their own fascinating and fantastical take on experiences of death and loss.

Pilgrim

Jetting in from Dublin, Pilgrim is a unique exploration of the maturity in valuing what you possess rather than clinging onto vain dreams of the future.

The Voice Thief

“Good girls should be seen and not heard”.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden from Not Cricket Productions is a faithful and on-the-whole, effective, adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic tale.

Shakespeare Untold: Titus Andronicus (The Piemaker's Tale)

‘One-man Titus Andronicus for Kids’ sounds like one of those joke titles you suggest to late-night improv troupes.

Molly

This year, Squint presents Molly – a show investigating the mindset of a sociopath with eerie echoes of the things you might see in Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.

The Hideout

Haste Theatre’s new take on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is one full of charm and humour.

Morro and Jasp Do Puberty

Jetting in from Toronto come clown sisters Morro and Jasp, masters of their craft and hilarious to boot.

Joe's Cautionary Tales

Hungry Wolf presents an energetic and enthusiastic offering for children at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Peter Pan

This offering of Peter Pan from the American High School Theatre Festival never reaches the heights of the Second Star to the Right.

A Race of Robots

Despite a fun-sounding premise, A Race of Robots unfortunately does not live up to its name.

Much Ado About Zombies

With such an intriguing name, the cynical part of me was almost prepared to be let down.

The Trojan Women

Updating Greek myths and tinkering with texts is a finicky process; how to maintain the spirit of the original while providing an audience with something new? Yet this new produc…

Sunday in the Park with George

Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society have brought their leisurely afternoon stroll Sunday in the Park with George to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Penelopiad

Cambridge Shortlegs and Pembroke Players return to the Edinburgh Fringe with their production of The Penelopiad, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s novella.

Always... Patsy Cline

Before this show, I had not heard of Patsy Cline.

The Bee-Man of Orn

With such a wonderful title, it’s a shame that The Bee-Man of Orn is not as thrilling as it sounds.

Maia and the Sock Monster

Uncommon Productions Staffordshire should be commended for their bravery in presenting their debut effort at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Princess Taz and the Fearsome Forest

The word ‘rap-dragon’ might simultaneously spark intrigue and a sense of unease, but fear not.

Tony and Mike - The Country Owl and the City Squirrel

It’s a rare show that can successfully entertain children of all ages.

Beans On Toast

Patch of Blue return to the Edinburgh Fringe with their scrumptious offering of Beans on Toast: a triumph of simplicity which still captures the imagination and the heart.

Medea

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned; so quotes or paraphrases every production of Medea ever made.

The Jungle Book

Flying High Theatre Company’s adaptation of The Jungle Book is a charming lunchtime production, faithfully recreating its source material and providing entertaining moments of ph…

Mike Belgrave's Krazy Komedy Show 4 Kidz

Mike Belgrave is a brave man.

Comedy Club 4 Kids

I didn’t expect to be hearing hard-hitting political satire this afternoon, but wow, that was actually quite a good Tibet joke.

Leodo: Paradise Lost

Not be confused with the Milton epic, Leodo: Paradise Lost follows the story of a young girl lost at sea and transported to a magical island beyond the horizon, Leodo.

The Odyssey: An Epic Musical Epic!

Triumphantly sailing into Edinburgh come Audacious Productions with their frankly magnificent production The Odyssey: An Epic Musical Epic.

Jungle Bungle

Bouncing into Edinburgh from Australia, No Mate Productions have arrived with their enjoyably infectious offering Jungle Bungle.

King Arthur

Sometimes in this show, there’d come some songs like this.

Shakespeare for Breakfast

With a free croissant and tea in hand, Shakespeare for Breakfast almost had me sold before kick-off.

Lysistrata

It takes a brave soul to attempt to tackle ancient Greek comedy with a modern audience.

The Big Bite-Size Plays Factory Goes Down the Toilet

This is a show about poo.

The Adventure Machine

You wake up at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Bacchae

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
23rd Aug, 2013

Get your coat.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (from here on mercifully abbreviated to APCSP) follows the trials and tribulations of six young spellers, along with some extremely fortu…

Gotcha!

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
16th Aug, 2012

A one-man show scheduled for over an hour and a half can be a daunting prospect for both performer and audience.

Medea

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
15th Aug, 2013

To choose Seneca over Euripides (thus making this a Roman rather than a Greek tragedy) is a brave decision by Kudos and one that occasionally backfires.

Sanctuary

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
13th Aug, 2013

Discussing the topic of abortion in a church venue may seem like a controversial and edgy thing to do.

Pirates of Penzance

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
19th Aug, 2013

It’s difficult not to enjoy yourself watching Pirates of Penzance and this production from Durham is no exception, although it does occasionally feel like it’s trying to undo i…

Inquiry into the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Review
★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
13th Aug, 2013

Hosted at the Edinburgh Christadelphian Church by the local community group there, Inquiry into the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ purportedly sets out to examine evidence …

Godspell

Review
★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
12th Aug, 2013

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.

Barry Brennan’s Bi-Monthly Dungeons and Dragons Sessions – A Geek Tragedy

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
4th Aug, 2013

No in-depth knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons lore is required to appreciate the excellent comedy this show provides.

Static - Free

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Aug, 2013

In Static, a man in his early twenties describes growing up.

In the Kingdom of the Blind

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
12th Aug, 2013

That’s an awfully good-looking prop, I think to myself as a character takes a knife to an apparent rabbit carcass.

Facehunters

Review
★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
4th Aug, 2013

SWEARING?! LESBIANS?! DRUG ABUSE?! HOW TERRIBLY AVANT-GARDE! Apologies for the shouting but Facehunters seems keen to stress that if you have a message of any kind, you’re best o…

A Laughing Matter

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2013

Hush Theatre is on a mission ‘to deliver a comparable experience to both deaf and able hearing audiences.

CeilidhKids at the Fringe - Free

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
3rd Aug, 2012

Satisfying energetic children can be a task for even the most patient of adults, but CeilidhKids seem to have found a simple but effective solution to combine family bonding with c…

Human and Other Things

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
1st Aug, 2013

Fresh from the Namat Theatre in Cairo, Human and Other Things offers a select glimpse of Egypt, albeit in a rather frustrating manner.

The Bunker Trilogy: Macbeth

Recast in a WWI bunker, claustrophobia is the order of the day as you watch events unfold in a very small room from an even smaller bench.

Lysistrata: The Disco Vaudeville Rock'n'Roll Musical

Review
★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
2nd Aug, 2013

The title is probably the most interesting thing about this adaptation of Lysistrata, but any potential that it implies is sadly missed by the show itself.

Oresteia

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
5th Aug, 2013

The Cambridge University team behind Oresteia have achieved many things I would have considered impossible with Aeschylus’ source material.

Three Words

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
9th Aug, 2012

Congratulations to Byteback Theatre for presenting a splendid physical show and going some way to alleviating my, not-uncommon, instinctive scepticism for the genre.

Theseus and the Minotaur: A Love Story

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
14th Aug, 2012

Flamenco dancing is perhaps not the first thing I would associate with the legend of the Minotaur and indeed neither is the idea that the conflict between the monster and Theseus h…

The Night Porters

Review
★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
11th Aug, 2012

Neither hilarious nor haunting, the claim this play makes to such titles falls as flat as the claim that it is a comedy.

Quantum Battlestar Deep-Space Voyager Tardis Wars: The Million-Dollar Space Epic

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
23rd Aug, 2012

If the title has somehow not given it away already, a warning should be given to the unenlightened.

Fabled

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
10th Aug, 2012

Searching for words to describe Fabled is difficult, which is appropriate as Lois Tucker does not utter a single one for the entire hour she is on stage.

The Mermaid of Zennor

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
20th Aug, 2012

Zennor is not, as it turns out, a distant alien empire, but a small fishing village in Cornwall.

National Theatre of Scotland Presents Love Letters to the Public Transport System By Molly Taylor

Review
★★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2012

Writing a show is a difficult enough task; to then both act and direct said show is worthy of a titan.

Trojan Women

Review
★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
12th Aug, 2012

At some point in the creation of this production, somebody decided that they were better at writing than Euripides.

Boy In a Dress

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
8th Aug, 2012

What happened in this hour long show is still not quite clear; there was singing, nudity, drag, and a large cupboard to be sure.

Winfamy

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
17th Aug, 2012

Weirdly, the house lights come on as the show begins and by house lights, I mean the ordinary light-switch for the room.

25: 13 Red, 12 Blue

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
15th Aug, 2012

Before the lights had barely dimmed, the main actor confidently strode on stage and began the central monologue of how his life in Hull was bad.

The Many Mishaps of Mr. Vinegar

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
6th Aug, 2012

Never before has a kazoo been blown with such gusto; so far so good as the two performers began the show with a confident song.

Three by Poe

Review
★★★
James Beagon
Edinburgh Fringe
7th Aug, 2012

I knew three things about the show before it started; that there are horror stories, that there are three of them and that they are presumably related to Poe.

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