Recent years have seen the release of a great deal of memoirs, biographies, and “creative non-fiction”. Olivia Laing’s The Lonely City manages to submerge itself within several of these categories while remaining uniquely outside of any particular one of them. It is a book which blends both Laing’s own experiences with loneliness and those of […]
With the acclaim of War Horse, a high bar has been set for puppetry on the theatrical stage. King’s Theatre’s production of Running Wild, also based on a story by celebrated children’s author, Michael Morpurgo, manages to put on a show that is awe-inspiring in its own right. Running Wild tells the story […]
There is something admirable about Scottish Opera’s decision to co-produce and stage (with Glasgow’s Vanishing Point) a new work (The 8th Door) alongside Bartok’s more firmly-established opera (Bluebeard’s Castle). The idea feels ambitious, and lends an air of uniqueness to their two-in-one production. The 8th Door consists of an empty stage, save for two actors […]
The jungle — and the Amazon in particular — has proven to be a place ripe with storytelling potential. Upon viewing The Lost City of Z, James Gray’s new film based on the best-selling biographical book by journalist David Grann, one is reminded of films such as Aguirre, Wrath of God and Apocalypse Now, which […]
Anxiety, depression, and self-doubt have long appeared in modern drama. Kitchen Sink, a new play by Sophie Sood, continues this tradition, but does so in a way which manages to avoid many of the usual thematic tropes. The play traces the trials and tribulations of a group of friends who all live in a […]
The Scottish Opera’s new production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande is an atmospheric, engaging work which stays true to the spirit of its material and allows the design, the performances – and most importantly – the music, to speak for themselves. A romance set to the glorious creations of Debussy, this opera is more emotion-centric than […]