Author: libartowrites

REVIEW: The Glass Menagerie

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A Production lovingly teetering on a knife’s edge.

For a few days only, the Royal Lyceum Theatre plays host to a shimmering, delicately wrought production of The Glass Menagerie in Scotland’s capital. The Dundee Rep Theatre’s collaboration, in association with Citizens Theatre, has produced Tennessee Williams’ memory play through meticulous direction, sumptuous design, and an unflinching ensemble. Steeped in nostalgia, regret, and aching beauty, the play has taken on a new resonance for the beloved patrons of the piece as well as found new audiences in those less acquainted.

The audience is drawn into a space that is part 1930s St. Louis apartment, part dreamscape, guided by the drawling narration of Tom, played by Christopher Jordan-Marshall. As the unreliable narrator, he slips seamlessly between past and present, introducing us to Jim, the “gentleman caller” and musician—portrayed with warmth and rhythm by Declan Spaine—whose live soundscape delicately underscores the action.

The gorgeously realised set confines the Wingfield family within its crumbling walls, creating a world that feels both claustrophobic and strangely protective. Its layered design offers a visual metaphor for the shifting power dynamics and buried desires that define the family’s fragile equilibrium.

What truly distinguishes this production, however, is its sensitive exploration of ableist rhetoric. Amy Conachan’s Laura gains a fresh, contemporary dimension, her fragility reframed without losing the tenderness of Williams’ original vision. It’s a courageous and insightful addition that deepens the audience’s understanding of how societal perceptions can confine as cruelly as circumstance.

Sara Stewart is a true standout as Amanda, the matriarch clinging desperately to the fading gentility of her Southern past. With poise, wit, and heartbreak, she captures a woman suspended between denial and memory as her rose-tinted optimism  serves as both her armour and undoing. Opposite her, Jordan-Marshall’s Tom burns with quiet intensity, embodying the torment of a son trapped by duty and guilt and a hope for adventure. His narration is haunted, lyrical, and edged with longing that echoes long after the lights dim.

This The Glass Menagerie is a reawakening. Luminous, layered, and emotionally devastating, it reminds audiences why Williams’ fragile family continues to haunt the stage, and why their ghosts still flicker in the hearts of audiences everywhere.

REVIEW: War Horse

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A Triumphant Return: War Horse Gallops Back into Hearts and History

After what author Michael Morpurgo aptly termed a “pandemic pause,” War Horse has returned to the UK stage with renewed urgency and emotional relevance. Making a powerful comeback at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre after a seven-year absence, the National Theatre’s production opened to a sold-out, intergenerational crowd, and it’s easy to see why this show continues to captivate audiences of all ages.

Set against the stark realities of World War I, the story of Albert and his beloved horse Joey is as timely and poignant as ever. What begins as a pastoral exploration of family ties and youthful innocence in rural England soon evolves into a sweeping tale of loyalty, loss, and the enduring bond between humans and animals. The emotional journey from peaceful farmland to the chaos of the trenches unfolds with striking clarity and devastating impact.

At a time when large-scale theatre can feel like a logistical impossibility, War Horse stands tall as a breathtaking reminder of what live performance can achieve. The sheer ambition of the production, which features a vast cast of multi-hyphenate performers, is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The famed life-size puppetry by Handspring Puppet Company remains a show-stopping centerpiece, breathing soul and movement into the horses with such artistry that you forget they’re not living, breathing animals. The subtlest movements invite a real sense of urgency and horror in relation to the expectation placed on these animals in such a ghastly conflict.

But it’s not just the technical wizardry that makes War Horse a masterpiece. It’s the emotional weight behind every performance, every step, and every heartbeat, human and equine. As Albert journeys across war-torn Europe in search of Joey, the audience is reminded of the personal cost of conflict, and the quiet power of hope and connection.

What unfolds onstage is almost cinematic in its intentionality moment to moment. Each second is a striking visual masterpiece that envelope the audience into a bygone era that feels ever more present day by day. There is something to enjoy for every level of theatregoer as well. The technical mastery is a masterclass for creatives in the audience, the puppetry is spectacular for young and old, the history is engrossing for the everyday buff, and the touch of music appeals to the musical lovers and musicians alike. It is a show that, in short, has a little bit of everything to offer to anyone; an accolade few shows can claim.

War Horse is more than a play; it’s an experience, a moving, masterfully crafted work of art that continues to challenge, move, and unite audiences. Its return is not just welcome; it’s necessary. Don’t miss the chance to witness this modern classic gallop across the stage once more.

REVIEW: Jordan Gray: Is That a C*ck in Your Pocket, or Are You Just Here to Kill Me?

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Energetic evening of enigmatic entertainment.

Jordan Gray has returned to the Edinburgh Fringe stage and taken it by storm once more with a rousing second installment to her famous musical comedy set. After letting it all hang out on live TV, and subsequently winning a BAFTA, the ballsy performer treated the audience to a packed hour of music, stand up, and witty repartee. Relishing in her own personhood and brilliance, Gray unapologetically threw every criticism of her personhood back at the audience. In a creative bit of queer apologetics, Gray had the audience in stitches while also liberally supplied with tampons.

This set, quite literally, took inspiration from her experience of receiving death threats and other negative private messages for her appearances on live TV. Gray in perfect comedic fashion though requested that if anyone had intentions of “doing a murder” to do it on live TV where it really counts instead of at the Fringe. Acknowledging the criticism of her gender legitimacy, Gray expressed her love of womanhood and how little the opinions of others matter. She did acknowledge one experience which she wished she could engage with and went to extremely comical lengths to achieve it. Lamenting her inability to join in the female comradery of helping sisters in need of female hygiene products, a rousing callback ended the show with a dramatic fake murder and tampons throwing session.

An utterly human exploration of fame’s benefits and hindrances on self-expression, Gray’s energy and command of the stage cannot be described as anything but explosive. She knows who she is, what kind of artist she wants to be, and the audience loves her for it, or, at least they already paid to see her set so it doesn’t matter to Gray in the slightest.

REVIEW: I am Claire Parry (Very Funny Stand-up)

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

A clown comedy about being a clown comic. 

Multidisciplinary artist Claire Parry explores the absurdity of being an artist in the current landscape with absurdity, itself. Entering on a mimed bicycle and immediately thrusting herself into the audience’s space, this unhinged hour was an uncomfortable reflection of the artist life. What followed the awkward entrance was a packed hour of discomfort and evocative comedic reflection. The primary throughline of her proclamation of her own name, slowly morphed into a mush of sounds as the pressures of being exceptional and commercially viable compounded. 

Lamenting she could not afford a van to move instruments, she mimed them all to great comedic effect. The absurdity continued through a series of interspersed song breaks about being an artist, filling notebooks with all her thoughts and dreams and creative hopes that all turned out to be filled with her name. 

“Who is this show for?” Parry, herself, reflected about two thirds of the way through the show. The answer? Her fellow artists and those patrons that did not understand how dire the arts underfunding has become. Witty, engaging, and cringeworthy this not stand-up routine served as a funny but chilling reminder of the limiting nature of surviving in today’s art sector. A risky show that most people just won’t connect with but powerful for those who understood, Claire Parry bared it all in an imaginative array of ways from sonorous melody to crawling about the ground with doll hands. 

REVIEW: Michelle Brasier: It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A Fast Five number of stars; fasten your seatbelts.

The Aussie comedian, musician and writer, Michelle Brasier, has taken Edinburgh by storm this August with not only a prime time showing with Gilded Balloon, but also appearances with the Edinburgh Book Festival launching her debut memoir. Audiences were welcomed by Brasier herself clad in a black dress and platform crocs, handing out secret messages and doling out compliments liberally to the sold out audience.

What ensued was a packed hour of hilarity and humanity of the woes and triumphs of being a “different bird” in real life as an actor. From extreme experiences with teachers to bed bugs and not quite processing negative reviews, her comedy was punctuated with comedic and sometimes heartbreaking music accompanied by her husband. This multi-hyphenate performer prepared a chaotic and engaging set that had the audience in tears of laughter and lamentation around the “spooky” nature of the world.

Brasier displayed her insatiable creativity in this performance, and it is this kind of voracious, interdisciplinary creativity that will keep the arts alive amidst so many global setbacks. Despite her significant and loudly expressed disdain towards critics and assertions that, “Life is not three stars!” If you are looking for a five star performance, look no further than, It’s A Shame We Won’t Be Friends Next Year.

Michelle Brasier is set to appear Monday 18th August | 20:30 | Spiegeltent coinciding with the UK release of My Brother’s Ashes Are in a Sandwich Bag , whichis now available via Amazon UK, selected independent UK bookshops, and from the Waterstones Bookshop at the Edinburgh International Book Festival from 9–24 August.

Her comedy show runs until 24th August. Tickets here.

FEATURE: In Conversation with Alisha Fernandez Miranda

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Don’t give up! Don’t stay in your lane. Don’t give up on the small efforts around you to make life better. Find ways to make things better and take the actions you can.

Sitting with Alisha just days after: the release of her new book, Someone’s Gotta Give, surrounded by the hustle and bustle of the Edinburgh Fringe and the Book Festival,and staring down the very real month long tour she is about to embark upon, the busy author and I had a candid chat about writing, inspiration and becoming a best-selling author.

When asked why this story, after the success of her debut book My What if Year, she explained her overwhelming feeling of “What do I do now?”

I caught the writing bug after I finished and submitted my first book; I love fiction with women in the center. I asked myself what if I create a story of a professional woman coming to the UK? But fiction is boundless, and hard, and required learning. The challenge of getting into character’s heads when they aren’t you, embodying another person who makes decisions and lives a life of their own and makes you say, ‘Stop! Why did you do that?’ It’s hard. And yet, there are so many books that exist that do it.

I sat on this book for about five months after my previous agent told me not to pursue it. I turned to my fellow writer friends and asked ‘Is there anything worth pursuing?’ Through their support I just kept writing. I was encouraged to stay in my lane as it were, and I didn’t.

 When asked to expound upon the challenges she faced in getting the book into the world we embarked on a lovely conversation of the drafting process.

There were eleven drafts in total! There were almost four complete rewrites. The ending remained every time, but the beginning changed every time. I had to sacrifice some real world philanthropy based experiences…I would love to write a whole novel about philanthropy tax laws but I don’t think I could! My editor was great and early on said that she would make suggestions and we would work through them. The only real salty  changes were I had to change the title and a few character’s names. I am still afraid I will accidentally refer to a character by their old name in interviews.

When asked about her hope for the book, Alisha was frank.

I really want a lot of people to read it who exist in the nonprofit scene because the sector is on its knees…I want to give them a relatable escape! And I want to open people up to the realities of that world who are general readers, too.

It is a huge shift from writing nonfiction to fiction, and Alisha alluded to the fact this book, and its associated process, changed her intrinsically as a writer. She had some thoughts on how this book has also changed her as a person.

Since 2016, there was a real watershed moment thinking…’Is anything I am doing worth pursuing?’ as someone who dedicated themselves to making the world a better place. This story brought me back to my early days of working in philanthropy and rekindled my love for the social good sector, and that was so unexpected because I had become so jaded.

We closed our discussion with a brief look at the book itself and her favorite moments to which Alisha said:

Anything snarky, I am not a snarky person, but any time Lucia says anything to Belly, I think it’s my favorite. I am glad I don’t have a ‘Belly’ in my life.

If you want to catch Alisha at the Edinburgh International Book Festival you can buy tickets to her event on the 22nd here: Alisha Fernandez Miranda, Emma Gannon & Jessica Stanley: Love Undone

To see her other related works and appearances, including her upcoming tour, go to: Alisha Fernandez Miranda

To purchase her new book:
Buy Someone’s Gotta Give in the US

Buy Someone’s Gotta Give in the UK

REVIEW: Dragged through the Mud

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

“A fabulous look behind the curtain.”

Skinny Minnie has taken to the Fringe stage to set the record straight, in her debut comedy hour, the previously cancelled queen cleared the air through an exploration of her greatest hits and misses. From agoraphobia to questionable night out decisions, pre-performance sushi disasters to polycule politicking, Skinny Minnie laid the whole sordid affair of her years long journey of self-discovery out in the open.

For a first bash at comedy, Skinny Minnie has cultivated a great set. The energy was electric, the jokes raw, and the situational humor, diabolically cringe. Skinny was unapologetically presentational in her narrative throughline, painting a very clear picture of who she has been, the villain in many stories. In an effort to take accountability for the cost of self-discovery as a drag artist, she did what she does best and created a standup routine about being a drag queen. By the end of the set, the audience was in stitches and maybe a little more considerate about the humans behind the personas we know and love.

There are some pacing issues that come naturally with nerves and vulnerability. These will settle as Skinny continues to develop the set and cultivate greater confidence with the performance form. Overall, it was a fun, enjoyable (if dark) comedy that provided an excellent outlet for Skinny and a great Fringe experience for the audience. In proper drag fashion, she ended with flair with a lip-sync so fierce her earrings went flying.

This is an 18+ performance with one additional performance scheduled on the 18th at Brewhemia – Bothy 9pm. Tickets are available here.

REVIEW: Hamlet by New York Circus Project

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A highflying standout.

New York Circus Project have added their high flying expertise to the bardic showings at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. Their take on Hamlet was harrowing in its athleticism and commendable for its ingenuity. With an ensemble of spectacular performers across acrobatics, dance, circus and acting, the performance was truly a spectacle. In this heavily distilled reimagining, true care was placed in the exploration of character so as to translate to the audience.

The king and queen remain earthbound as the insanity unfolds around them. Hamlet’s madness is explored through explosively athletic flips. The slain king soars beyond reach through the manipulation of various apparatus driving Hamlet into a frenzy of justice. The scorned Ophelia stands out as a brilliant light with her incredible solos on lyra and within the pool.

It is a bold choice to attempt Hamlet as it stands as one of the most famous tragedies. Unless one has a firm understanding of both the bard and the intricacies of acrobatics it is hard to argue this is an accessible reimagining. There were moments the human tragedy of the thing was undoubtedly sacrificed for greater visual theatricality. Hamlet, as a vehicle for physical exploration, provided a strong throughline for the piece’s journey, and it can be argued very few came for the acting bits and instead relished the spectacle. As a whole, the performance was entertaining and effective and a wonderful display of human athleticism.

This show is on from the 5th – 24th at Assembly Central with a runtime of 1 hour. Tickets here.

REVIEW: Count Dykula

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

 What the fringe is made to showcase!

Airlock Theatre in association with Soho Theatre have brought this vampiric, musical exploration of queer presentation to the Fringe stage. Performed by a mighty trio, the story follows the titular character Count Dykula as she attempts to overthrow the administration of Scare University and their limiting beliefs in being monstrous the right way. This on the nose comedy is full of quick witted comedy, cleverly injected popular culture and high concept social commentary.

Self-aware and self-deprecating, Count Dykula must come to terms with her own journey from ultra femme, human to undead, masc vampire amidst the stereotype of what a female vampire should look like.

With clever props and staging that worked well within the parameters of the Fringe stage, the show achieved a lot dramaturgically. Minus some technical misshapes and at times, poorly mixed audio, this was a completely enjoyable show. Even the cringeworthy moments were met with humor and levity in a way that resonated with the audience. The book and score was quickly paced and neat, the voices were lovely, and the acting distinct. It is refreshing to see something so unapologetically gen-z and of the time when so many theatre companies shy away from generationally specific content. For Count Dykula, this choice serves them well.

This show performs in the Pleasance Dome from the 5th – 25th and the run time is one hour. Tickets here.

REVIEW: Trainspotting Live

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

Raw, relentless and unflinchingly brilliant.

The Eight-time returning phenomena – in production with King’s Head and In Your Face, presented by Seabright Live – has returned once more to the Edinburgh Fringe.
This adaptation by Harry Gibson of Irvine Welsh’s classic novel throws the audience into the narrative from the moment the doors are opened. The audience steps into Edinburgh’s ’80s drug scene, becoming an active participant in the staging, resulting in some truly foul audience participation. Gritty and unhinged, the production remains relatively true to the source material. What cuts and adaptations were made only serve to increase the immersive quality of the piece, highlighting the disorienting nature of active addiction. That is not to say that an understanding of the source material would not help the audience more fully enjoy the show—though there is something to be said for those who choose to enter blindly into the piece.

Major props must be given to the creatives responsible for this production. With a series of subject matters so heavy and intrinsically linked, performing this piece twice each evening is a feat of herculean strength. The sheer energy, physically and mentally, required to maintain the stamina for a performance at this caliber is staggering. The shock value alone isn’t gratuitous; it is purposeful, pointed, and deeply effective. This is not theatre that simply wants to entertain; it wants to confront, to provoke, and to leave an imprint.

Performed in the round, this deeply disorienting and intentionally overstimulating piece contains strobe lighting, immersive audience participation, nudity, scenes of sexual violence, violence, strong language, and triggering themes. It is not for the faint of heart, and it does not apologise for its visceral, confrontational nature. There is too much to see and not enough space to enjoy, but that is the show. 

Traditional seating is individual seats with backs; general seating is padded benches without backs.
Run time: 1 hour and 20 minutes.