Anna Millar

Edinburgh Fringe set for administrative reform

21 Jan 2010

FROM a homosexual Jesus to Jane Austen’s Guide to Pornography, the Fringe has never been short of controversy when it comes to its acts. There was disappointment then, last year, when the headlines still focussed on the Fringe’s administration over the…

Words with AL Kennedy

Meanders delightfully

25 Aug 2009

AL Kennedy proves herself a consummate storyteller in this sharp meditation on the power of words. A largely autobiographical look at her love affair with language, Kennedy meanders delightfully from paranoia about her recent Costa award win through her…

Almost Like a Virgin

Strikes an impressive pose

19 Aug 2009

The problem with pretending to be someone else is that there’s always a chance the audience will want more of them and less of you. This ode to the Queen of Pop is a case in point. Madge impersonator Evelyne Brink strikes an impressive pose as she belts…

King Ubu

Playfully robust take on power and its outrageous (mis)fortunes

12 Aug 2009

Runaground theatre adapts Alfred Jarry’s absurdist masterpiece, setting the scene for the rise and fall of their greedy protagonist against the inspired backdrop of a vaudeville theatre. A talented ensemble cast shamelessly over-plays it, capturing with…

Catwalk Confidential

70s fashion icon Robyn Peterson

10 Aug 2009

Talent-spotted by Valentino aged 14, 70s fashion icon Robyn Paterson jumped a plane from Miami to Paris in search of fame and fortune. While a familiarity with the lifestyle of 00s glitterati makes the shock value of this well-heeled one-woman show a…

Dixie's Tupperware Party - Plastic fantastic

A ruder version of Dame Edna

28 Jul 2009

Dixie Longate is not your average type of gal. She may be a street-smart, fast-talking belle these days, but life hasn’t always been so easy. Having thrown off the shackles of her trailer park existence back in 2001, she was saved by Tupperware. A life…

Belt Up bring Tartuffe and Trial to the Fringe

The award-winning physical theatre company provide an inspired spin on some enduring classics

23 Jul 2009

If the Fringe is about anything, it’s about an inexhaustible ability to surprise an audience, whether it be with a crazy venue space, a thrilling new script or a suitably memorable performance. Step forward - Belt Up.

Precious Little Talent

Playwright Ella Hickson is living proof that Scotland’s got talent. She meets Anna Millar.

23 Jul 2009

It may be the title of her latest show, but Precious Little Talent is not a description you could apply to last year's Fringe darling, Ella Hickson. 2009 should be her year again.

Doctor Austin and Doug Safety's Time-Tastical Time Tale and Visualise: Reloaded

Time travel, techno-clowns and Darwin: science theatre for everyone

13 Jul 2009

Whether it’s cryogenics or time travel, Darwin or the speed of light, one thing the Fringe seldom lacks is imagination. Always on hand to entertain all ages, this year’s Festival looks set to engage and inspire with an array of science-related shows for…

Sex-themed shows at the Edinburgh Festival

Three very different Fringe shows with a lust for life

13 Jul 2009

From origami private parts to Jesus as a nightclubbing homosexual, the Edinburgh Fringe seldom lacks controversy. Talk of The Chippendales rocking into town direct from an oiled-up stint in Las Vegas, has already had the chattering classes gasping for a…

Capital - Edinburgh Festivals

28 May 2009

Not for nothing has Edinburgh garnered a reputation for producing some of the finest festivals in the world. Although Manchester and Melbourne are coming hot on its heels, the Fringe continues to dominate the festival calendar as the self-styled…

I am Robert Mugabe

11 Aug 2008

Al Carretta is so fascinated by Robert Mugabe he’s writen two shows about the Zimbabwean despot, as Anna Millar discovers. The late, great George Bernard Shaw wrote: ‘We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.’ Never was a truer word…

Polish theatre

Poles apart

31 Jul 2008

Sitting in a picturesque café in the heart of Warsaw – Poland’s capital and largest city – it’s easy to forget the turbulent history that has shaped this country’s place in the world today. The city has long had a reputation as a vibrant playground…

Tim Minchin - Looney tunes

31 Jul 2008

Not one for being stuck in a pigeonhole, Tim Minchin is a musician, actor, comic and father. Anna Millar meets the man who looks like a scarecrow and is terrifying the world of traditional stand-up comedy

Event horizon - Edinburgh Mela

22 Jul 2008

While Charlotte Square Gardens, The Hub and Pleasance may think they are at the heart of the August experience, there are other cultural bonanzas going on around them. Anna Millar takes a look at some of the other Festival action Often unfairly…

A show of force - Edinburgh Military Tattoo

22 Jul 2008

A festival spectacle global in design is this year’s The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which prepares once again to set its stall on the esplanade under the impressive backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, as it showcases the best military musicians from around…

Hard times - Gladder to be Gay?

Festival of Politics

22 Jul 2008

Simon Callow is heading our way with both Stonewall and Dickens on his mind. Anna Millar chats to one of theatre’s hardest working men about his love of acting and support for gay rights Mere minutes out of London rehearsals for The Magic Flute and…

Spirit of the age

Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace

22 Jul 2008

Another festival growing in popularity, from humble beginnings is the Festival of Spirituality & Peace. Launched just three years ago, through the Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association, the Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities and…

Messiaen 100

Edinburgh International Festival

22 Jul 2008

Celebrating a centenary with intimate recitals and orchestral drama. As a composer he was the epitome of innovation; as a musician he could move a room to silent awe. That the EIF is choosing to celebrate the centenary of Olivier Messiaen as part of its…

Inside the box

Edinburgh International Television Festival

22 Jul 2008

Nestled at the end of August is the Edinburgh International Television Festival which, frustratingly, is still an industry shindig but it’s good to know the calibre of celebrities you may be bumping into around town. This year’s line-up includes Doctor…

Festival focus

17 Jul 2008

All festivals announce last minute additions to programmes

Edinburgh Art Festival announces programme

Where the art is

3 Jul 2008

Another week, another festival launches. Hot on the heels of the Fringe, the EIF and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, relative newbie the Edinburgh Art Festival last week laid out its stall, boasting a roster of art glitterati from a 20-year…

Festival frenzy as Edinburgh gears up for August

3 Jul 2008

With just three weeks until Edinburgh officially takes its place in the spotlight as one of the world's greatest cultural playgrounds, festival news and views have been coming in thick and fast. Perhaps most contentious is the news that after capturing…

Edinburgh International Book Festival programme announced

19 Jun 2008

Festival fever continued apace last week following announcements about the Free Fringe Festival, The Edinburgh Interactive Festival and – most anticipated of all – the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Book Festival organisers said this year's…

Festivals - Capital Gains

5 Jun 2008

Kicking off the capital’s world famous summer festivals in late July, it’s the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (25 Jul–3 Aug) which is the longest running jazz festival in the UK. Following hot on its heels is relative newbie to Edinburgh’s festival…