Under Another Sky
The Guardian 12 August 2022 There can’t be many plays in which the emotional turning point is an argument over Henry Purcell’s Dido’s Lament. But then there can’t be many…
Under Another Sky
The Scotsman 26 July 2022 David Greig wonders if what he has done in his latest play should even be allowed. Technically, he has only adapted a book. His romantic…
Around the World in 80 Days
The Guardian 14 July 2022 A big plus point in going outdoors to stage Jules Verne’s escapade is you have room aplenty to tether a hot-air balloon. The one that…
Sunshine on Leith
The Guardian 2 June 2022 We’ve romped most of the way through Life With You, the title track from the Proclaimers’ seventh album, when the lead actors fade out of…
Sunshine on Leith
The Scotsman 6 May 2022 The scene is a wedding. Tying the knot is theatre director Ben Occhipinti. His friend and colleague Elizabeth Newman has volunteered to lead the congregation…
The Wind in the Willows
The Guardian 10 July 2021 The National Trust should see about hiring Colin McCredie’s Mr Toad. When he gets his comeuppance in this jolly production, the owner of Toad Hall…
White Nights
The Guardian 9 July 2021 “I am alone,” says the narrator of Dostoevsky’s 1848 short story, a man who has had so little interaction with the world that he has…
Adventures with the Painted People
The Guardian 14 June 2021 Pitlochry Festival theatre already has a claim to be the most beautifully situated in the country. Now, with the advent of an outdoor amphitheatre deep…
John Byrne: ‘If I don’t laugh when I’m writing, it gets tossed out’
The Guardian 21 April 2021 If you were in Edinburgh during the 1977 festival there were two shows you couldn’t miss. One was the revue Beyond a Joke starring a young…
The Magic of Christmas
The Guardian, 10 December 2020 Elizabeth Newman is the director who wouldn’t give up. Prevented by the pandemic from staging a Christmas show indoors, she opted instead for a promenade…