Scottish Ballet began its Autumn Tour of Ashley Page’s production of this well-loved ballet at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh from 11 to 14 January. But this is no ordinary production. As Ashley who is Artistic Director and Choreographer says “Anthony McDonald, designer and I had a lot of fun re-imagining The Sleeping Beauty and we had a great opportunity to delve deeply into the history of the original version of the story and select aspects of them to create our own new vision.”

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So often we see a film we enjoy and later go to a stage version, only to be disappointed. This is certainly not the case at live performances of the legendary Rodgers and Hammerstein “The King and I” based on the original novel “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon. It is showing at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh until 7 January and is sheer delight in music, words, dancing and acting. All too rarely do we see all these elements work in wonderful harmony. Read the rest of this entry »

Stuart Paterson can always be relied upon to write a good script for Christmas, and “Beauty and the Beast” at the Lyceum this festive season until December 31st does not disappoint. This is good old-fashioned child-centred theatre.
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Matthew Bourne has a new version of the “Nutcracker” at the Festival Theatre this week, and it really is a cracker. The great thing about such an old favourite – 120 years old to be precise – is that in a new production the familiar becomes energised and sparkles with a brand new lease of life. |inline