Articles by Emma Gibson

Love and Information by Caryl Churchill

This is a superb student production from St Edward’s School, under the direction of Jamie Johnstone and co-director Rebecca Clark.

Marching for Necie

We open with a group of young Southern belles, beautifully attired in vintage-style dresses, learning how to apply make-up to please their husbands, so setting up the conservative …

18 Foot Story

Sometimes a production doesn’t come together and it’s not for a lack of trying.

Women of the Mourning Fields

This is a play for fans of Greek tragedy and theatre nerds.

Every Brilliant Thing

Every Brilliant Thing is quite simply brilliant.

Open

Review
★★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
11th Aug, 2015

Taking place in the greatest of British institutions — a chip shop — on election night, Open is a devised work by the student-run Nottingham New Theatre.

Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions

Fans of Charles Dickens will love this charming one-man show performed by Ian Pearce, which he adapted from a short story.

The Hampstead Murder Mystery!

When High Court Justice Sir Horace Fewbanks is found dead, Detective Inspector Chippenfield and Detective Sergeant Rolfe are on the case to find the killer.

Light Boxes

A space at Summerhall has been transformed into a forest.

Eclipse

It’s August 1999 and a group of Bristol teenagers have returned from a trip to Cornwall where they went to see an eclipse.

Da-Da-Darling

Review
★★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
Zoo
15th Aug, 2015

This evocative dance performance is as notable for the process by which it was made as it is for the quality of the final product.

The Beanfield

This year is the 30th anniversary of the Battle of the Beanfield, a violent police intervention in which more than 500 travellers were arrested in a field on their way to a new-age…

Dead Man's Cell Phone

Jean is sitting in a cafe enjoying a lobster bisque when a phone nearby starts to rings.

Scarlet Shambles: It Used to Be Me

Review
★★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
Just the Tonic at the Caves (Salvation Rooms)
14th Aug, 2015

Best described as cabaret with some clowning thrown in, Scarlet Shambles: It Used To Be Me is a delightful surprise.

slut (r)evolution (no one gets there overnight)

In this fun one-woman show, a self-described bi-dyke shares with us stories of her sexual evolution, from Mormon adolescent scanning second-hand books for smut, to monogamous domes…

Invisible Woman

A superb one-woman show from Kate Cook, Invisible Women tells of the thrilling adventures of a repressed housewife and sometime poet turned WWII operative.

The Turn of the Screw

An adaptation of the classic gothic horror by Henry James, this show promises chills and thrills but didn’t send too many shivers up my spine.

My Name is Saoirse

Set in an attic sewing room, Saoirse’s life is presented to us as a form of patchwork quilt.

The Outsider

Conceived and performed by stage magician Janne Raudaskoski, The Outsider is a spectacular piece of theatre illusion.

Cartography

This is a story of Sarah, a lover of maps and trigonometry.

Mistaken: A Quartet of Plays for One Actor

Mistaken presents four short monologues, written and directed by Nick Myles and performed by William McGeough.

I Am Not Myself These Days

This adaptation of Josh Kilmer-Purcell’s autobiography by writer/performer Tom Stuart is in turns sympathetic and shocking.

Fable

A charming storytelling piece that fuses spoken word and music, Fable from the Flanagan Collective charts the story of ‘J’.

The Cherry Orchard: Beyond the Truth

I wasn’t supposed to be reviewing this show, but on a friend’s recommendation (“three Korean ladies doing Chekhov.

Piano Music of Erik Satie

In the surrounds of St Cecilia’s Hall, my view of pianist Peter Bream is through a glass case displaying a set of tartan-clad bagpipes.

The Genius of George Gershwin

Review
★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St
26th Aug, 2014

Gershwin fans will enjoy this programme of carefully selected tunes as well as biographical readings, including letters between Gershwin and his brother and collaborator Ira.

Send More Paper

Billed as an uplifting tale about murder, Send More Paper is entertaining and thought provoking in equal measures.

Peter Pan

This fun new adaptation of JM Barrie’s classic story begins in Priceland.

Architects and Anarchists

This is a play about a writer, the girl he loves and the characters in his head.

Flat Pack

Flat Pack is a coming-of-age story.

News Junkie

This piece from Japan seeks to present a slice of life.

The Electra Project

This play, about a group of high school students attempting to adapt the Greek classic with disastrous consequences, thankfully doesn’t end in a case of life imitating art, altho…

Connected

In this solo show about an ambitious crooner, we see Frank Corelli in an interrogation room, prompted to reveal the story that got him there.

Mark Thompson: The Secrets of the Universe... Exposed

The welcome recording over the PA tells us that this event is part of the Assembly Rooms’ ‘Enchanting ideas’ series for a ‘more discerning audience’, getting a chuckle …

Lucy Worsley: A Very British Murder

Who doesn’t love a good murder? Most of Britain does apparently and this preoccupation is not a recent event.

Such a Nice Girl

Eilidh has a problem.

Jerry Sadowitz: Card Tricks and Close-up Magic

Prepare to be offended and amazed.

Song Noir - The Director's Cut

It should be a speakeasy with small round tables and lowballs of stiff drinks on the rocks – but it ain’t.

Bob Downe: Bob, Sweat and Tears

He claims he’s now been knighted as Sir Robert Downe (you can call him Count Downe, geddit?) but that isn’t the only outlandish claim made at this fabulous frolic of a cabar…

The Usherettes

This romp through the bygone days of grand movie theatres and classic films is brought to us by Jean (Karen Levick) and Pearl (Helen Wood).

The Selkie and the River God

This play explores the enduring Celtic mythology of Selkies – mythical seal-like creatures who, once ashore, can shed their skin, appear as beautiful women and have their hearts …

Neverland

This lovely piece of devised work opens with the young cast, paint-splattered and white-faced, arranged on a row of chairs, from which they begin a choreographed series of movement…

London Life

If this show had simply featured the songs of the Three Belles – an Andrews Sisters-inspired act with delightful voices and glorious harmonies – and some references to the 1…

Totally Devoted

The worst thing about this show is that there’s a life-size cardboard cut-out of Robert Pattinson onstage the entire time.

Into the Woods JR

In this abridged version of Into the Woods I wasn’t sure if the ‘junior’ part would refer to the length or the audience appropriateness of the play.

Austen

Writing fiction in Jane Austen’s time was deemed a frivolous thing and, with this considered, the frivolity of a musical is certainly an appropriate way to present her life.

Tap Into Health: Movin' With Melvin

Movin’ Melvin Brown is in town doing two different high-energy shows on alternating nights.

X and Y

The title for this play comes from the chromosomes that arbitrarily define gender.

The Waterbabies

I had high expectations for this adaptation of one of my childhood favourites.

Riding With Night

Riding with Night opens with an ensemble of black-cloaked figures, their faces masked, and a voiceover providing an epilogue to the play we are about to see.

Like a Virgin

Like a Virgin has an intriguing concept, promising bubble-gum pop and teen rites of passage.

Whimsical Grimm

This adaptation by Stephen Williams follows the stories of Clever Gretel (no relation to Hansel) and Silly Kate Elizabeth.

Bristol Improv Steals the Show - Free

Review
★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
Whynot?
17th Aug, 2014

The premise for this clever improvised show is to poach from the best of the Fringe.

The Secret Collector

Jack lives on an island where the community calls itself idyllic.

Like Fireworks, Like Butterflies

Tracing the life of Korean dancer Choi Seung-hee, this solo show is surprising and delightful.

Nevada: It Ain’t Just About Vegas, Baby!

This original work sets out to present the history of the US state of Nevada, contending that there’s more to it than Vegas.

Drowning Scott

“Would you rather die by drowning or die of cancer?”Scott would rather drown.

Paper Play

Paper Play is the story of a boy who climbed to a great height to see what he could see.

Play Dough

In this energetic play presented as a game-show the audience is divided into two teams and sat facing one another across the playing space.

Plaza Suite

Neil Simon’s comedy is made up of three self-contained acts in three different explorations of relationships, all of which take place in the same room at the Plaza Hotel in Manha…

Prelude to a Number

Prelude to a Number is a show about maths: more specifically, it’s about the ‘golden number’ phi, which is related to the Fibonacci sequence and is all around us, although we…

Working Title: The Orpheus Project

A slick piece of cyberpunk with noir flourishes, The Orpheus Project is an atmospheric re-imagining of Kafka’s The Trial combined with the myth of Orpheus and his quest to bring …

Other Voice Spoken Word Cabaret

Hosted by the effulgent (according to her title card) Fay Roberts, this event did as promised, presenting diverse voices from a number of different spoken word artists.

Victorian Vices – Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls

From the corridors of a modern hotel we enter Victorian London in this immersive musical theatre piece.

The Ukulele Evangelists Bang One Out

Much as if I’d been with real-life evangelists, I imagine, I left this show wondering what on earth had just happened.

Tabularasa

Combining contemporary and African dance, four dancers put on an impressive physical display in Kaneish Dance Theatre’s Tabula Rasa.

The Shakespeare Revue

Those familiar with Shakespeare and fans of musicals will enjoy Emanuel Theatre Company’s fun romp that mashes the two genres together.

Mary, the Last Farewell

Performed in the stately Edinburgh Elim church, Mary the Last Farewell is a historical drama about the life of the Queen of Scots.

Human

Jo is unwell.

I Before You

“It’s the game show of all game shows!” our host tells us as we begin.

The Decline and Fall of Marcus Distilius

Forget Justin Bieber and his legions of ‘beliebers’.

Imaginary Girlfriend

In the back room of the White Horse pub, Danny Mullins is taking us through what his promo material describes as interactive music magic.

Gambit Theatre Presents: Contrast

Gambit Theatre’s offering at the Fringe is a theatrical exploration of two real-life conmen and more specifically, identity imposters.

Trojan Women

In this retelling of Euripides’ tragedy, the Trojan War has ended but the women of Troy are still to discover their fates and more tragedies.

Obscura

Christian Cagigal’s Obscura is an utterly charming magic show, but it’s more than that: it’s a theatrical experience incorporating card tricks, music boxes and storytelling.

Sinatra: Final Curtain

This original musical by Kingdom Theatre is a tribute to the songs of Frank Sinatra.

Loud Poets

It’s not often you’re treated to performance poetry in a setting with as much production value as this.

Darkle

First produced in 1989, Bill Gallagher’s script, which won the Sunday Times Playwriting Award, still feels relevant to the issues in contemporary culture.

Sweep Up the Stars

Sweep Up The Stars charts the bittersweet journey of Bill/William, who is determined to become a writer when, at the age of eight, his older self appears to him through the power…

The Amazing Bubble Man

Children will love this fun spectacle of bubble-blowing and even grown-ups will be impressed by the Amazing Bubble Man’s feats; not ten minutes into the show, I heard a Dad in fr…

English Cabaret Hour

Set at the fictional Celebrity Café, this cabaret features sketches, song, and the baking of mini-cupcakes.

Loose Soul

“We live in a time of magic.

Scandimania: Gods of Ice and Fire

In Scandimania: Gods of Ice and Fire, the stage is crammed with seven young actors, all dressed in white, who leap into action and unfold a fast-paced enactment of Norse mythology.

No Belles

Of 566 scientists to win the Nobel Prize, only 15 have been women.

Movin' Melvin Brown: The Tap-Dancing Preacher

Melvin Brown has got the moves, and this suave dude who appears in a suit and gold satin shirt also has a killer voice.

Tick Tock

Mhari and Thomas can’t conceive.

Love. Guts. High School.

We can all remember the name of our first crush, can’t we? That’s the question Love.

Fleeting Clouds, the Splendid Library

Fleeting Clouds, the Splendid Library is an original Chinese opera inspired by the Guoyunlou books, an encyclopaedic set covering 1000 years of knowledge.

The Snow Queen

Produced by C theatre, The Snow Queen is a charming adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale by Karina Wilson.

The Jungle Referendum

The Jungle Referendum, by Three Mugs of Tea Theatre, invokes the classic tale of the Jungle Book to explain what’s going on with the Scottish referendum.

Sushi Tap Show

This exuberant, toe-tapping spectacular is a sure-fire crowd pleaser.

Dave Callan: A Little Less Conversation

If you fit into the overlappy bit of a Venn diagram of people who like dance, people who like comedy and people who like men who look a bit like Vikings, this show is for you.

Cal Wilson: It Could Have Been Me

Kiwi comedian Cal Wilson invites us to imagine what her life would have been like if she’d made different choices (or if she’d been born a man).

The Greenville Ghost

The Greenville Ghost, a new script by Tom Bonnington, is a laugh-a-minute farce about two struggling hoteliers who decide to invent a fictional ghost to draw in clientele.

The Potter Trail

Review
★★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
Meeting Point at Greyfriars Bobby Statue
8th Aug, 2014

It’s fair to say I’m acquainted with the Harry Potter series.

Vaults and Wynds Tour

Review
★★★★
Emma Gibson
Edinburgh Fringe
Meet outside Tron Kirk at Auld Reekie Tours Boards
24th Aug, 2014

I’ve heard horror stories of people who went on ghostly tours in Edinburgh and were scared by actors hiding in dark places, or who felt nauseous or panicky in the fetid air, so i…

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