Articles by Ali Schultz

The Bacchae

You may think you’ve seen The Bacchae – but have you seen Dionysius wreaking havoc upon his namesake play in an attempt to modernise it? This is the premise of Mermaids: The University of St Andrews Performing Arts Fund’s performance of this iconic Euripides play...

The Swell Mob

The year is sometime in the 1800s, it seems, or else 2018. The venue, a seedy taproom, or the basement of an Assembly George Square building, again, depending on how you look at it...

Dracula

This is not your grandmother’s Dracula, which may be immediately obvious when you walk into the theatre to the sounds of a Queen song. No, instead this Dracula gives you a whole new way of looking at the two century old Romanian immigrant, and makes sure it’s as hilariously irreverent as possible...

The Strange Undoing of Prudence Hart

David Greig and National Theatre of Scotland have created something across the board brilliant with The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. At times hilarious, at times haunting, this twist on Scottish folk narratives delivers clever writing, beautiful music, and hysterical comedic acting in a strange story of an academic’s emotional coming-of-age through inexplicable encounters...

Nijinsky’s Last Jump

“God is beauty with feeling” insists Nijinsky, gazing searchingly at his audience. And that feeling, that complete connection between what is breath-taking and what is emotionally profound, is communicated by the dancer in every pose, every motion, every sweep of the arms and every jump...

Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Review
★★★
Scotland
The Byre Theatre
12th Apr, 2016

It might seem a strange thing to do, but director Taryn O’Connor’s decision to cast three different leads in this three-performance production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch wasn’t just to avoid exhausting one actor with three nights of such an intense performance...

Doctor Faustus

Review
★★★★★
Scotland
The Byre Theatre
12th Apr, 2016

“Faustus shall never repent” the titular character states brazenly – almost convincing himself, but with tears in his eyes. Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus may be the archetypaltale of “selling your soul to the Devil” and regretting the consequences but, far from falling into tired expectations, directors Alexander Gillespie and Bennett Bonci here offer a brilliantly refreshing interpretation...

A View from the Bridge

Good theatre doesn’t necessarily have to change the world, sometimes it is enough just to entertain. This is the case with A View from the Bridge at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews...

Cinderella

Review
★★★★★
Edinburgh
Byre Theatre
8th Dec, 2015

Cinderella is so familiar a story that anyone above the age of 12 might be weary of the annual parade of ‘reimaginings’ attempting to keep it relevant. However, the Byre’s production – written and directed by Gordon Barr – combines charming silliness and excitingly impressive talent that blows away any anticipated plot cobwebs...

Hector (Was So Great A Crime)

Review
★★★
UK Regional & Tours
Byre Theatre
10th Nov, 2015

Hector (Was So Great A Crime) is based on the true story of the Scottish military hero in the Second Boer War who was brought down by malicious attacks on his good name. A stiff, determined and courageous general, we see Hector request a position in Ceylon, against the advice of his mentor that it might not be the right place for him...

Bibs'n'Bobs Reloaded

Bibs 'n' Bobs Reloaded is a magic show exactly as it sounds, being constructed of simple objects from an ordinary Morrisons bag. As well as, of course, being a pun on magician Elliot Bibby's surname...

Aaabeduation – A Magic Show

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
La Belle Angèle
30th Aug, 2015

"We are the first show… in the Edinburgh Fringe Guide" magicians Malin Nilsson and Charlie Caper crow happily, claiming this as the reason for their strangely named show. This seems odd to be the sole reason to name a show, but as no other explanation is given, we just have to go with it...

Pete Firman: Super Duper

'It's fucking magic.' Pete Firman says this as a joke, but those three words are his show in a nutshell. Blunt, irreverent, and frustratingly riveting, Peter Firman: Super Duper is a manifestation of 'how the hell did he do that' in sixty minutes...

Peter Antoniou – Happy Medium

Review
★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Sweet Grassmarket
30th Aug, 2015

The show is called Happy Medium, and Peter Antoniou introduces himself early into it as a 'Comedium', but these excellent puns are far from the best part of this show.The distinctive comedic style Antoniou weaves through his show can be explained with one example – “This man has paperclipped a sticker to himself...

Captain of the Lost Waves: Unsolved Mysteries

Review
★
Edinburgh Fringe
SpaceTriplex
26th Aug, 2015

One of the songs included in Captain of the Lost Waves: Unsolved Mysteries is titled A Song No One Wants to Hear. Despite what it may seem from this, the Captain is apparently unaware that this is the show that no one wants to see...

Linking Rings

Review
★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Le Monde
26th Aug, 2015

In Linking Rings Paul Zenon interweaves the stories of two Collinses, both of the storyteller himself, Paul Collins (Zenon is a stage name) and of Jim Collins, Houdini's go-to man...

Tricnic

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Liquid Room Annexe
25th Aug, 2015

Tricnic is a comedy magic show featuring twin magicians Kane and Abel who reject your preconceived notions of the props and common items magic is usually done with and instead perform with food...

Chris Cook: Truth or Dare

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Voodoo Rooms
25th Aug, 2015

Chris Cook is an unexpected gem of Edinburgh Fringe magicians, and an absolute master of his stage. His show this year, Truth or Dare, is a testament to the captivating nature of skillful and surprising magic...

Strictly Come Trancing Hypnosis Show with Ben Dali

Review
★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Liquid Room Annexe
22nd Aug, 2015

Lunchtime is perhaps not the right time for a hypnosis show for adults. Strictly Come Trancing is a show where you can see how it could have been great – if only the sky had been a bit darker and the audience participants a bit tipsier...

Oliver Meech's Improvised Magic Show

Oliver Meech is no stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe, having brought his show When Magic and Science Collide in previous years. However, this Fringe, Meech aspires to do something a little different than a traditional magic show, and combines his skills for illusion with – as the title says – improv...

Colin Cloud: Kills

Colin Cloud is the ultimate rockstar mentalist, or as he styles himself, deductionist. He has succeeded in cultivating the most intriguing aesthetic for himself, combining the Victorian mysteriousness of his idol Sherlock Holmes with his own flashy modern tech and dramatic reveals...

Nailed It!

Nailed It! is introduced by singer Andrew Strano and keyboardist Loclan Mackenzie-Spencer as being "about life, about love, about relationships", and they succeed fantastically in turning these well-worn subjects into a refreshingly unique show...

Scott Smith: Wonders at Dusk

Wonders at Dusk is not just a magic show; it is a magical experience. Scott Smith does not define himself; he does not say, 'I am a magician, here are the tricks I am going to do for you'...

Twisted Cabaret

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Gilded Balloon
16th Aug, 2015

Word of advice: the four stars you see here are only for the brave at heart. Twisted Cabaret is a thoroughly terrifying, thoroughly fantastic and hilarious show of cabaret madness...

Edward Hilsum: Genie

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Voodoo Rooms
14th Aug, 2015

A family magic show accessible for even the youngest of children, Edward Hilsum: Genie is a charming magical experience.The show revolves around the simple concept of Hilsum granting the wishes of members of his audience...

Magiko

Review
★★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
Spotlites
13th Aug, 2015

A simple set, a modest stage and enough enthusiasm for magic in one man to inspire his audience to audible, astonished gasps. Magiko, with Siegfried Tieber, is an absolute triumph of close-up sleight of hand and mind reading magic...

Déjà Vu – A Mind Reading Show Like You Won't Have Seen Before

Review
★★★
Edinburgh Fringe
9th Aug, 2015

Deja Vu, according to a very quick Google search I just did, means 'a feeling of having already experienced the present situation.' Now, while Francis Girola did inspire this feeling throughout his performance, it was more in relation to his incessant need to repeat the definition more than necessarily fulfilling it in a magical sense...

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