Edinburgh Fringe Festival

sjmclaughlin
sjmclaughlin
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
12
Reviews
17
Photos

The Pajama Game, Edinburgh University Footlights, February 2009

  • February 3, 2009
  • Rated 1 of 5 by John Smithd from EDINBURGH, United Kingdom
REVIEW

The Pajama Game, Edinburgh University Footlights, February 2009
Churchill Theatre 3rd - 7th Feb

Even though Edinburgh Footlights are a student company, you would expect, for £12.50 per ticket, to enjoy a semi-professional quality show.
Tonight's performance, however, rather looked like a middle-school production than a student one, let alone professional. Colin Cairncross, the Director for this production, is responsible for the worst revival of The Pajama Game I have ever, ever seen: no theatrical sense was evident, along with a total lack of creativity, and above all, a lack of consistency between staging and music. Simon Burrow, the Musical Director was far from being in control: he displayed a lack of precision in his gestures - which inevitably led to a lack of togetherness in the orchestra - a lack of dynamic, wrong balance in the orchestra, fluctuating tempos, and even more, a complete lack of musical sensitivity. Attention was often drawn
towards the pit. Yet, there was not much to be missed if focus did not remain with the action onstage. "Is that meant to be a tango?", murmured a lady sitting next to me. Indeed, the Pajama Game features tangos and waltzes, but you may have wondered whether the production company had ever heard any of these, as they lacked style and character as much as the rest of the music we heard tonight. There were some good dancers however and a few nice voices to be heard, but all of this was spoiled by poor production quality. The plot, being both thin and unoriginal, also contributed to make a very boring evening.

I highly recommend saving your time and money!

J. H. S.

Le Roi David, (King David), Honegger, Edinburgh International Festival

  • August 19, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by John S. A. from Edinburgh, United Kingdom
This review is about the (public) general rehearsal of "Le Roi David", held in the Usher Hall on Monday 18 August 2008, just hours before the performance. The orchestra (RNSO) under the masterly conduction of Stéphane Denève, performed brilliantly. Soloist and narrators were amazing. The enthusiasm of Stéphane Denève seemed to energize the chorus which sounded rather good. Pronunciation of the French language was of a reasonable standard, although far from perfect, as could have been expected from an 'International Chorus'. A little detail made the whole thing quite hilarious however. The presence of a funny little man - a rather flamboyant character visibly suffering from 'lollipop head syndrome', who spent the rehearsal fussing around the concert hall, occasionally addressing the chorus, as if he was indispensable. Was he the Chorus Master?

Fringe

  • August 20, 2007
  • Rated 5 of 5 by hellnick from london, United Kingdom
The Fringe takes place over the month of August. There are hundreds of venues, thousands of performers putting on comedy, drama, dance, music, and stuff that brings all of these things together. It is fantastic fun and you'll need at least a week to see all the things you should.

From journal Edinburgh Fringe

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

  • December 27, 2006
  • Rated 4 of 5 by TaylorMM from Boise, Idaho
Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The street performers were my very favorite part of Edinburgh. Some are hilarious, some are tragic, others are really really terrible... but I promise there is no other place or time quite like the High Street during the Fringe Fest. The performers will be in costume trying to hand you brochure/advertisements for their show in their hundreds - and often their gimmicks to get your attention in the street is better than their actual show. I was young and alone and loved the busy energy of the street, but if you cannot stand crowds or pesky salespeople, then steer clear.

From journal Fringe Festival in Edinburgh!

Edinburgh Festival

  • August 11, 2004
  • Rated 5 of 5 by flowerchild60 from Saint John, New Brunswick
The city is famous for the arts (it was once known as "the Athens of the North"), a pre-eminence reflected in its annual hosting of Britain’s largest arts extravaganza, the Edinburgh Festival. Its museums and galleries display the riches of many cultures.

Every year, for three weeks in late summer, Edinburgh hosts one of the worlds most important arts festivals, with every available space overflowing with international artists and performers. It has been held in Edinburgh since 1947 and it brings together the best in contemporary theatre, music, dance and opera. The alternative Festival Fringe, with some 600 companies involved balances the classic productions with a host of innovative performances. The most popular event is the Edinburgh Tattoo, held on the Castle Esplanade. This is a spectacle of Scottish infantry battalions marching to pipe bands from all over the world.

From journal Handsome Edinburgh

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