Articles by Gillian Bain

HYPER

Does the way you see someone change how you see their story? Does the way you hear someone change whether you are even willing to hear the story at all? HYPER presents a confrontin…

In Defiance Of Gravity

There lived a certain man in Russian long ago….

PALS

Any Scot has experienced that feeling where the solution to overcoming one of life's minor criss seems to be to go bouncing up a Munro somewhere in the highlands.

Frankenstein (On a Budget)

What if Mary Shelly’s gothic horror classic Frankenstein was resurrected as a campy one-man musical? An interesting premise explored by LampHouse Theatre in their new show playin…

Chokeslam

“You will leave a wrestling fan.

Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (Again)

The most sparkly and relatable Jellyfish you will see this year, or probably any year really.

Breathe

I never thought I could be so charmed by a centipede.

BUTCHERED

Not for the faint of heart or light of stomach, Butchered takes its audience into an absurdist descent of meat and madness.

Burning Down The Horse

One hundred brave (or not so brave) Trojan Soldiers are trapped inside the infamous giant wooden horse, plotting their escape….

Stuntman

Stuntman is a high-action piece of physical theatre mixed with reflective storytelling and real heart.

Wild Onion

Grief is such a powerful and universal part of the human experience.

Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard's Tale

Conspiracy theories can sometimes be reduced to light hearted niche interests only fully embraced by weirdos on the fringes of society.

M.E.H

As recently as the early 20th century it was not uncommon for women to be medically diagnosed with “hysteria”.

Girl Scouts vs Aliens

If there was an alien invasion of planet earth who would you want to represent the human race? Politicians, David Attenborough, The cast and crew of Stranger Things? What about a g…

The Desk

A dimly lit stage, five women and their leader, to whom they will give everything until there is nothing left to give: this is the basic set-up for Reetta Honkakoski Company’s ca…

Queer Words

Three performers on stage present an intriguing blend of poetry and dance.

Pussy Riot: Riot Days

It’s very rare that you go to ‘the theatre’ and feel as though you are witnessing a moment in history; with Riot Days, Pussy Riot successfully creates this feeling.

On the Exhale

“You always thought it would be you”.

The Turn of the Screw

In Underbelly’s Big Belly, the slow dripping from a leak in the roof onto the stage has never been a more apt presence in a production.

The Unbinding

This was one of the most remarkable striking and uncomfortable productions that I have seen in a long time.

The Egg Is a Lonely Hunter

Single person monologues have long been a fringe staple, but nevertheless they are incredibly difficult to successfully pull off.

Meek

The Traverse Festival program has jumped into action, already selling out full days' worth of shows at a time.

Seagulls

In Seagulls, visuals are everything.

Egg

We all know Edinburgh Festival Fringe is filled with bizarre acts and Idea.

Descent

Good theatre should make you feel something and by that definition alone, this was great theatre.

Bombastic Declaration of Love – Julie Cafmeyer

There is nothing more personal that the truth, and to present the truth of stage is an invariably brave act.

Wanna Dance With Somebody! Or, A Guide To Managing Social Anxiety Using Theoretical Physics

With one of the longest titles you’ll come across it feels as though this show will have a lot to unpack.

Scribbles

There was something strangely liberating about taking the dark topic of alcoholism and giving it absolutely no reverence.

The Canon: A Literary Sketch Show

This is a very silly comedy about some very serious books (and poems and plays).

Otto & Astrid: Eurosmash! (Die Roten Punkte)

Sibling duo Otto & Astrid have abandoned their punk roots in search of commercial success.

Tom and Bunny Save the World

The novelty musical gets its fair share of traction over the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Fat Rascal Theatre are attempting to stake their claim as rulers of the field.

Viggo Venn – The Life of Pepito

Viggo Venn’s act is a hard one to categorise.

Pulled

Have you ever worked up with hazy memory of what may have happened the previous night? These two Irish lasses certainly have and it hits them with equal levels shame as it does pri…

Indie as F*ck

In a similar way to eating your mum’s homemade soup, sometimes the charm of a show can outweigh the actual content.

Ensonglopedia of Science

John Hinton is on a one man mission to make science cool.

Wereldband: Släpstick

On first viewing the stage I thought I would try and count all the instruments I could see scattered around waiting to be played.

Brothers

Performing to a deservedly sold out crowd, this piece aims to start a conversation with its audience about a topic that is too often neglected.

Speaking in Tongues: The Truths

Sometimes, just one good idea is enough to make a show a success.

Once Were Pirates

The set of this play included a fish tank with a small toy fish that swam around in it.

Lippy

The beginning and end of a show are the bits you remember, the bits that leave you feeling great or feeling thoroughly disappointed.

The Birds#1. Corpses

Alfred Hitchcock has already firmly established that birds are terrifying beyond doubt.

The Taming of the Shrew

It’s often hard to find anything particularly original about an original adaptation of any of Shakespeare’s great plays these days, but The Taming of the Shrew done in traditiona…

A Little Princess

The number of children’s shows has been increasing every year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, but so much choice can make it difficult to know which show your kids are going to…

The Gayest Thing You've Ever Seen

Claiming to be the gayest thing in a room full of LGBT people in a gay bar (although straights are welcome too) is quite the boast.

Catching Up

Friendships and relationships can be tricky to navigate, particularly when they become tangled together.

Van Gogh Find Yourself

Van Gogh is one of the world’s most famous artists but many people know very little about him other than strange stories of missing ears.

Undercover Refugee

The refugee crisis is undoubtedly difficult to discuss.

Little Shop of Horrors

The 80s was time of many things; Rubic’s Cubes, cheesy pop.

Two Kittens & A Kid (A Gay Man Raising His Inner Diva)

Racial identity, puberty, sexuality and childhood trauma may not seem like the ideal topics for a one man camp cabaret, but here in Edinburgh anything is possible.

Ruby and the Vinyl

There something quite exciting about the prospect of a new musical running at an hour without a big stage or fancy lighting or even a band and only three performers.

Exactly Like You

Nina Simone is one of the greatest music icons of the last century, producing songs as soulful as her voice.

Eleanor Conway's Walk of Shame

Eleanor Conway’s basic style involves storytelling based on her own life events.

Silver Lining & Jacksons Lane: Throwback

Ever heard a song come on the radio and instantly been taken back to particular memory? It’s strange the way a melody can evoke an emotion, the feeling of falling in love, remind…

Zero

Dark humour can be a bit hit-or-miss.

Pond Wife

“So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.

Closer by Circa

This is circus for serious people.

Ockham's Razor: Tipping Point

Ockham’s Razor are a British physical theatre company specialising in unique performances utilising aerial equipment.

Tink Tank

Shadow puppets have a reputation for being, let’s face it, a bit uncool.

Tracy

Workplace drama can become pretty intense.

Eurobeat

The UK may have had some issues with its European neighbours recently in the political world but perhaps all we need is a little bit of glitter and pop to bring us all together.

Union

CAPA College are in Edinburgh bringing with them a collection of talented young dancers and a showcase of conceptually ambitious routines.

Scary Shit

A combination of silly and serious is something rarely achieved with any success.

Dark Vanilla Jungle

The strength of this production primarily sits with the intensely provocative script written by Philip Ridley.

Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story

Review
★★★★★
Gillian Bain
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
CanadaHub @ King’s Hall in association with Summerhall
8th Aug, 2017

Kings Hall has been taken over by Summer Hall and transformed into the Canada Hub over the festival, showcasing a series of Canadian acts exploring the issues surrounding Canada’…

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