Articles by Aron Penczu

Soften the Grey

The first half of Soften the Grey is near-perfect.

Moonshine, Medicine and The Mob: Whisky Theatre

Review
★★★★
Aron Penczu
Edinburgh Fringe
Valvona & Crolla Scottish [email protected]
19th Aug, 2014

Part history lesson, part guided whisky-tasting, Moonshine, Medicine and the Mob offers a fascinating insight into a key period in American history: Prohibition.

The Sorrows of Young Werther

Goethe’s best-known novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, finds elegantly concentrated expression in this short one-man performance.

Old Gristle

There is a character in Old Gristle who carries a bin bag and, within it, the liquefied remains of his dead dog.

Story Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing

The Year Out Drama Company’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing begins with a game of charades and its brisk humour quickly melts away my scepticism.

The Unholy Trinity

I’m not quite sure why The Unholy Trinity calls itself horror.

Cushion

Cushion is a very short (thirty-minute) piece which begins much as it ends: two middle-aged women are seated before us and converse.

Shakespeare's Greatest Hits

Shakespeare’s Greatest Hits does pretty much what it says on the tin: runs through some of the Bard’s best-known monologues and soliloquies, from Jaques’ “All the world’s…

King Ubu

King Ubu was performed only once in playwright Alfred Jarry’s life.

Tender Napalm

Tender Napalm is a two-hander by Philip Ridley, best known for his controversial 2005 play Mercury Fur.

And the Horse You Rode in On

And The Horse You Rode In On begins with the easy unfolding of soldiers’ badinage.

All Through the Night

Shirley Lauro’s drama All Through the Night opens badly, but it gets better.

Shaggers

Shaggers’ premise is simple: a couple of comedians make sex-related jokes.

IndieRound (Fool Members Club) with Bob Slayer & Tim Fitzhigham

Some way into a verbal onslaught directed at yours truly, Bob Slayers makes an unexpected allusion to the observer effect in particle physics.

The Return of Savonarola

Trevor Smith’s An Evening with Dementia, which has captivated audiences and critics alike in its three runs, seems set to become one of the valued mainstays of the Edinburgh Fr…

Strange Resting Places

Italy, late World War II.

The Canon: A Literary Sketch Show

Anyone might be forgiven for apprehension about a literary sketch show.

Dogs of War

There’s a lot going on in Dogs of War.

The Zulu

In early 1879, the British Empire suffered its worst ever defeat at the hands of an indigenous people.

Liam Williams: Capitalism

Liam Williams’s latest show is hard to pin down.

Lavender Junction

In 1996 Lisa White interviewed her grandmother, Millie Shrieves, who grew up in colonial India.

Mallory: Beyond Everest

Lie motionless in the centre of railway tracks, they say, and a passing train will leave you untouched.

Bazaar and Rummage

Bazaar and Rummage was written by Sue Townsend, best known for her Adrian Mole series, and incorporates some of the wry humour typical of those books.

Unsung

Unsung, a tender, devastating domestic drama by Ayndrilla Singharay, draws on her experiences at the ASHA woman’s refuge.

Clever Peter: The Dreams Factory

A madcap romp through its creators’ bizarre imaginations, Clever Peter may be the weirdest sketch show you’ll ever see.

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