Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

A celebration of the enduring friendship between the brilliant and tragic composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and Marion Scott, writer and trailblazer of women musicians, written a… 

Mathew Bourne's  Romeo +  Juliet

Mathew Bourne's Romeo + Juliet

Rape, homophobic bullying, knife crime and murder in a mental health/correctional institute, Mathew Bourne’s Romeo+Juliet is probably the most shocking and bold of his re-imaginin… 

The Alzheimer's Diaries: Meet The Author

The Alzheimer's Diaries: Meet The Author

What do you do when Ms Alzheimer’s – a hideous and befanged monster – comes to live with you? Local author and journalist, Susan Elkin, talks about her new book, … 

Death of an Author

Death of an Author

What if your favourite characters didn’t quite like the way they were written? What if they decided enough was enough? When an unnamed author is found dead, his characters are br… 

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Ivor B Gurney and Marion M Scott had a very special friendship. 

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

A celebration of the friendship between the First World War poet and composer, Ivor Gurney, and violinist, musicologist and champion of women musicians, Marion Scott. 

Talk discussing the novel Permafrost with author Eva Baltasar

Talk discussing the novel Permafrost with author Eva Baltasar

Romancero Books with the support of the Office for Cultural and Scientific Affairs of the Spanish Embassy in London presents the Festival of Queer Spanish Literature in London… 

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Author, Composer, Soldier-of-a-Sort

Celebrating the friendship between composer and war poet, Ivor Gurney, and musician and first woman music critic, Marion Scott; written and performed by Jan Carey. 

Storyland Author Readings

Storyland Author Readings

Brighton’s Storyland Press is a place where the story comes first, regardless of genre or where it sits on the commercial/literary spectrum. 

Louis Durra Trio

Louis Durra Trio

Ask the average punter in HMV what jazz is and they’ll describe squalling saxophones, pulsating trumpets, and the white heat of constant improvisation in a smoky bar. 

The Essential Tom Stade: 12 Nights Only!

The Essential Tom Stade: 12 Nights Only!

Tom Stade calls his show The Essential as it contains topics and themes that he believes are international and integral to many different cultures and lifestyles, thus maximising i… 

Peatbog Faeries

Peatbog Faeries

The Peatbog Faeries don’t really look like rock stars, or what you might call the traditional larger-than-life performer. 

Harpsichords at St Cecilia's 2

Harpsichords at St Cecilia's 2

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s more often than not a badly-played oboe. 

Billy Jones: Roots 66

Billy Jones: Roots 66

Looking for stagecraft and charisma is an odd part of reviewing a music show. 

Fèis Rois and Friends

Fèis Rois and Friends

Feis Rois and Friends is a show by Feis Rois, an organisation which promotes traditional celtic and Scottish folk music. 

Rock and Dole

Rock and Dole

Rock and Dole is Sam Avery’s story of how his band dBh (dirty Blue hooks) went from humble beginnings with their mums backstage at their first gig to touring Europe and even open… 

Crunch the News

Crunch the News

Crunch the News is a panel show in the vein of shows such as Radio 4’s News Quiz and Have I Got News For You. 

Bruce Fummey - Gaelic in the Afternoon

Bruce Fummey - Gaelic in the Afternoon

Bruce Fummey’s show is a chronicle of his learning the native language of Scotland. 

The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek- Live

The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek- Live

Sketch is arguably one of comedy’s hardest forms, requiring an individual to have the abilities of a writer, actor, comedian, director, and critic, all at the same time. 

Worbey and Farrell: Deviations On the Piano

Worbey and Farrell: Deviations On the Piano

The venue Worbey and Farrell play in looks like it is reserved for an austere classical performance, with the solemn black piano dominating the stage. 

Marcus Brigstocke presents Unavailable for Comment

Marcus Brigstocke presents Unavailable for Comment

Unavailable for Comment, hosted by Marcus Brigstocke, is a news-based quiz and sketch show. 

Geoff Norcott Occasionally Sells Out

Geoff Norcott Occasionally Sells Out

Tired of playing soulless corporate gigs and run-of-the-mill crowd pleasers at the weekend, Geoff Norcott is taking the plunge with this show, his first where he talks about what h… 

Moving Family

Moving Family

Moving Family is a play written by Paul Charlton, the Geordie from The Ginge, the Geordie and the Geek. 

Lewis Schaffer Is Free Until Famous - 20th Year

Lewis Schaffer Is Free Until Famous - 20th Year

Character comedy is slowly but surely leeching into stand-up. 

Jeff Mirza: Meet Abu Hamsta and Paki Bashir-From Allah with Love

Jeff Mirza: Meet Abu Hamsta and Paki Bashir-From Allah with Love

When you get more laughs from riffing off your audience in the first five minutes then you do for the whole rest of your show, you know something’s wrong. 

Lior

Lior

When Lior Attar comes on stage, he doesn’t look like much - a guy in skinny jeans with a beard and a guitar and let’s be honest, there’s lots of those about. 

Steve Bugeja Tries Hard

Steve Bugeja Tries Hard

Steve Bugeja is certainly trying hard. 

Peter Straker's Brel

Peter Straker's Brel

Jacques Brel is one of the most famous French singers of all time. 

The Surrender

The Surrender

The Surrender is a play about sex. 

Anthropoetry

Anthropoetry

I went into Anthropoetry not sure what to expect. 

Six Characters in Search of an Author

Six Characters in Search of an Author

In a new adaptation of Luigi Pirandello’s disturbing masterpiece, Cambridge ADC chop, change and miss the point entirely. 

Michael Che: Cartoon Violence

Michael Che: Cartoon Violence

Michael Che’s show Cartoon Violence offers a little fresh perspective on current issues such as racism, bullying, sex, and the recession. 

Neil Hickey: Escape Artist

Neil Hickey: Escape Artist

They say that comedy is all about the delivery and no-one proves this more than Neil Hickey, whose show is a prime example of one that could be perfectly competent, but which is re… 

Nish Kumar - Nish Kumar is a Comedian

Nish Kumar - Nish Kumar is a Comedian

Nish Kumar is in the throes of an identity crisis, only in this instance it is other people being confused about him, rather than him about himself. 

Neapolitan Songs

Neapolitan Songs

Valvona & Crolla is a bit of a household name in Edinburgh, and that’s putting it mildly. 

Kate Daisy Grant with Nick Pynn

Kate Daisy Grant with Nick Pynn

There is a saying in Hollywood that the gun you see in the first scene will go off in the third. 

The House of Shadows

The House of Shadows

Within the House of Shadows, there is an explanation for cultural popularity that I found rather endearing. 

Paperbelle

Paperbelle

It’s often the simple ideas that are the best. 

Anda Union - The Wind Horse

Anda Union - The Wind Horse

If your knowledge of Mongolian history is limited to Genghis Khan, or if you think that folk music is merely background music for washed-out hippies, then Anda Union are the perfec… 

The Harri-Parris - The Leaving Do

The Harri-Parris - The Leaving Do

Thank goodness for the British public’s ability to laugh at itself, otherwise the soggy weather might prove too much when it starts lapping at our ankles. 

Magdalena Reising - Blue Cafe Jazz

Magdalena Reising - Blue Cafe Jazz

When it comes to unusual instruments, the harp probably is somewhere in the top 5. 

The Edinburgh International Circus Festival

The Edinburgh International Circus Festival

I have a confession to make: until recently, I’d never been to the circus. 

Author

Author

An author, two actors and an audience member discuss Tim Crouch’s last play, an unnamed and violence-filled two-person production whose effects on the actors and writer are slowly… 

A Musical Journey with Euna Park: Springtime in Korea

A Musical Journey with Euna Park: Springtime in Korea

Euna Park produced an excellent performance in St. 

New Rope String Band

New Rope String Band

Musical comedy is a risky business. 

Relevancy with Kemari - Traversing 5000 Years of China

Relevancy with Kemari - Traversing 5000 Years of China

The Gillis Centre, situated in the leafy Grange, is far away from the hustle and bustle of the Fringe and its blizzard of proffered leaflets. 

Liam and Owen - A Cracking One Off Show!

Liam and Owen - A Cracking One Off Show!

Free comedy is like cinema pick n’ mix. 

Music @ St Cuthbert's

Music @ St Cuthbert's

The best often start out young. 

Jumping Jesse Jones

Jumping Jesse Jones

Blues can be a difficult act to pull off. 

The Bravery of Miss Anne and Other Tales of Splendorous Adventure

The Bravery of Miss Anne and Other Tales of Splendorous Adventure

It’s only when you look back at your childhood books and films that you realise how many of them are ripe for satire. 

Dad Doesn't Dance

Dad Doesn't Dance

The idea of searching for a lost parent is particularly fertile territory. 

Bad Musical

Bad Musical

When in the first ten minutes of the show there have already been several jokes about vaginas and a song essentially about paedophilia, it quickly dawns that few sacred cows are go… 

Sex Ed: The Musical!

Sex Ed: The Musical!

I went into Sex Ed! a little wary. 

Born to Run

Born to Run

Multitasking can be very difficult: Gerald Ford was famously said to not be able to walk and chew gum. 

Lapin Wants Ice Cream

Lapin Wants Ice Cream

My main memory of French lessons is struggling to remember lists of increasingly bizarre irregular verbs, a recollection many will, sadly, find familiar. 

PassionFlower

PassionFlower

Flowers are not only part and parcel of music lyrics, but also the pretty packaging on top. 

Ben Okri's The Comic Destiny

Ben Okri's The Comic Destiny

For the first ten minutes of Ben Okri’s the Comic Destiny, I sat there entirely unsure about what was going on. 

Organ Recital - A Grand Tour of Europe

Organ Recital - A Grand Tour of Europe

In the world of organs, the Frobenius brand is king. 

The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper

The Prince and the Pauper has long been a staple of children’s bedtimes so the cast from Newman’s Art College had to satisfy not only children’s expectations but their parent…