Category ★★★☆☆

REVIEW: INK

Photo by Julian Mommert

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis was my main question throughout this piece. Papaioannou (an erstwhile painter before his illustrious career as a director, choreographer and performer) creates beautiful images, awesome tableaus onstage before allowing them to crumble, or in this case melt away. The stage is set under a fair few inches of water which keeps coming for most of the show. Papaioannou, as the Dressed Man is sat contemplatively, spinning a bowl of water, allowing it to spill out again. Eventually Šuka Horn crawls on as the Nude Man and disrupts this peaceful, soggy solitude. What follows borders on erotic, tender, loving and eventually violent, traumatic and sad. Outstanding sound design from David Blouin and intelligent and effective lighting from Lucien Laborderie and Stephanos Droussiotis illuminate the performance which verges on the edge of contemporary dance without ever plunging deeper into it.

REVIEW: OommoO

Reading Time: 2 minutesAn emotive show that genuinely innovates in the storytelling space OommoO is a strangely formless word to say, with each letter sliding into the next. Similarly, Lula Mebrahtu’s dreamlike mix of music, monologue and technology struggles to…

REVIEW: Haunted Scouse

Haunted Scouse dress rehearsal at the Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. Picture Jason Roberts

Reading Time: 2 minutesFrom it’s promotion, you may expect “Haunted Scouse” to be something of a horror-comedy (a rarity for plays, definitely), but what emerges instead is something of a comedy-drama - a heartfelt and intriguing story intermingled with frequent laughs and a good dose of situational irony.

REVIEW: Reparations

Reading Time: 2 minutesMaryam Garad explores the intricate internal worlds of a young female shoplifter Last week, my friend had her bag tampered with by a shoplifter in Chinatown. Coupled with the daily theft warnings broadcasted at underground stations, the…

REVIEW: Ragnarok

Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic

Reading Time: 2 minutesThis international production by Tortoise in a Nutshell in co- production with Nordland Visual Theatre and in association with MacRobert Arts Centre, took to the Traverse Theatre’s stage to tell the mythical tale of Ragnarok with a Scottish twist as part of the Manipulate Festival.