Author: Brett Herriot

Since completing training, Brett has enjoyed a varied career across the arts as an actor, writer, performer, producer, company manager, stage manager and arts critic. Brett embraces the arts with a passion in all its forms. Away from the world of theatre, Brett is a vegetarian, loves an occasional glass of wine, chatting with friends and travelling when time permits
Brett Herriot at the Festivals

The Heroes Who Made Us–The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2025, Edinburgh Castle Review:

Brett Herriot

***** (5 stars)

“Dazzling and Emotional Triumph!”

The annual spectacular of pageantry, Military precision, music, colour and theatricality marks its seventy fifth anniversary with a new Creative Director, Alan Lane taking the helm and he delivers a show which embraces its past and points towards the future with some innovative changes alongside celebrating the Heroes in all over lives in a production that is a dazzling and emotional triumph.

The biggest innovation for this year’s show is the creation of a character called “The Storyteller” performed by acclaimed Scottish actor Terrace Rae. The character is a ghostly apparition of a lone piper from 1950. He tells the story of the history of the Tattoo alongside its impact on those who have shared in the spectacle across the years. There is also a celebration of the Tattoo’s host City as Edinburgh continues to mark its 900 years since its founding. Rae also leads the tributes to Heroes from across the armed, civil and local services spanning the Army to the NHS.

Introduced with a blistering fan fare the production opens with its greatest and most acclaimed element, The Massed Pipes and Drums formed from nine individual bands this is without doubt the iconic sound for which the tattoo is most renowned. Joined by 5 individual bands to form the Massed Military Bands and that iconic sound rings out around the 9000-capacity arena packed with a rapped audience drawn from across the globe.

The Tattoo celebrates its anniversary by inviting some of the very best guest acts to have appeared on the esplanade from across the years with stunning performances from the United States Honor Guard Drill Team, The United States Old Guard Fife and Drum Core. The most beloved of the guest acts from Switzerland, The Top-Secret Drum Corps make a thrilling return to Edinburgh with a display that’s simply awe inspiring.

There are also guest acts making their debut in the Tattoo with The Representative Band of the Polish Border Guard bringing rich cultural flavor to the show. The most emotional tribute to Heroes is the inclusion of the Orchestra of Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Orchestra have specially flown in to participate in the tattoo backed by a stunning visual displayed designed by Kate Dawkins projected onto the half moon battery its an emotional moment, one which isn’t lost on the audience.

Production wise the tattoo remains a timeless statement of grandeur with Adam Bassett’s Lighting design, Scott Willasallen’s Sound Design, Owain White’s Pyrotechnic and SFC design and Rhiannon Matthews Costume Design combining in a flawless display of technical prowess. Special credit must go to the inclusion of drone technology which is being deployed for the first time at the tattoo and brings additional wow factor.

Bringing the 2025 Tattoo to a close is the haunting lament of the Lone Piper high atop the castle ramparts as fireworks crackle and drones float high over head the entire Tattoo cast take there bows before the massed pipes drums lead us in the traditional march out.

As the thrilling, engaging and sense tingling spectacle comes to close its clear the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is in safe hands with a bright future ahead of it! Creative Director Alan Lane has set the bar high for his first year and the thousands of audience members will return in 2026 for the 76th Tattoo but you might just be lucky to get a last minute ticket for the show of shows at the heart of the festival city in August.

The Heroes Who Made Us–The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2025, Edinburgh Castle for info go to: https://www.edintattoo.co.uk/

Mary Woodward at the Festivals

EIBF, The sound of movie music, Courtyard theatre, Edinburgh Futures Institute

Brett Herriot

***** (5 stars)

“Utterly fascinating!”

Mark Kermode and Jenny Nelson have worked together for a number of years on a movie music radio show for Scala station [alas, no more] and it’s obvious from the way this hour goes that they know each other well, and complement each other superbly.  Mark is the consummate presenter, able to talk  easily, fluently, and simply about things that interest [or engross] him: Jenny is the gentle reminder-er, the ever-present context person who’ll say ‘I know you’re wildly enthusiastic about this particular film or piece of music, but tell us why it’s so important/ good / adjective of your choice”.

Together they’ve co-authored a book.  Although its title is Mark Kermode’s Surround Sound: The Stories of Movie Music, Mark is very clear that it’s a joint production which grew out of a book on movie music that he was commissioned to write a fair number of years ago.  He kept getting very enthusiastic about his subject, finding many people to interview, but realising that the material he amassed was impossible to put into a coherent shape.  It wasn’t till, some years into his radio collaboration with Jenny, that he realised that she was the person he’d been looking for for years, the one with whom he could create the book he’d always had in mind.

It really is a book for people who know nothing about music or the processes involved in creating a film score.  Mark read us a very early passage in the book, where his firm belief that recordings of movie music included the whole of the dialogue as well is shattered by an assistant in a record store.  It’s well-written, and doesn’t need a music degree – or indeed any prior musical knowledge – to understand and enjoy.

Mark and Jenny’s conversation is fascinating and very wide-ranging, and the questions at the end of the session add to our enjoyment.  They referenced many films, directors and composers, virtually none known to me – but that didn’t matter in the slightest.  Directors and composers probably have as many ways of working, separately and together, as there are stars in the sky… 

It’s very interesting to ex-musician me that with modern technology you don’t have to have a recording studio with a one-hundred piece orchestra to create movie music – though this still happens.  You can do in any number of ways, some extremely low-tech.  And silent movies were never actually silent: there was always some sort of music being played, even if only one instrument was involved.  Equally importantly, silence can, at the right point in a film, speak louder than a thousand notes, however well-played.

There are chapters on the history of film music; on influential [though not necessarily famous] composers who’ve made significant contributions to film music; on the different genres of film and music; and so much more…

A fascinating hour, from which many people set off intently for the book-shop and book-signing tent, taking with them all the other questions they were dying to ask Mark and Jenny.  I’m looking forward to laying my hands on a copy of their book just as soon as I’ve finished rushing round Edinburgh like a mad thing reviewing all manner of fascinating things!

EIBF, The sound of movie music, Courtyard theatre, Edinburgh Futures Institute, RUN ENDED for more information go to: https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival/whats-on/mark-kermode-jenny-nelson-the-sound-of-movie-music

Mary Woodward at the Festivals

1457, The Boy At Rest, Studio 1 at Assembly George Square (Venue 17)

Brett Herriot

***** (5 stars)

“Haunting and Heartwarming”

Over the last few years, courtesy of my bonus granddaughter Maddy, I have become addicted to Korean drama on Netflix.  Imagine my delight, therefore, when I came across the listing for this show!

I’m very happy to say it lived up to all my expectations and more.  It was a joy to see and hear live actors speaking and singing Korean – and with subtitles projected on to the back screen, there was no problem understanding what was going on.  [I even got to recognise familiar words and phrases…]

The Joseon dynasty ruled in Korea from 1392-1910, and has been a source of many period dramas, or ones where contemporary characters discover that they lived previous lives in that period.  The costumes are gorgeous, the manners very elegant; there’s a lot of fighting with swords, and a huge amount of intrigue and skulduggery.

1457, the boy at rest contains gorgeous costumes, but no sword-fighting.  There is, however, a very wicked plot surrounding the young king Danjon.  His father died when he was only ten and his uncle, whom he greatly loved and admired, desired the throne for himself.  Danjon stepped down from the throne, hoping to lead a quiet life with his beloved wife Jeongsun.  His uncle, fearing that the young man would always be a focus for rebellion, banished him to a far away province.  The new king still did not feel safe, even after torturing and executing anyone who opposed his rule: finally he sent his nephew the order to take poison.

This sounds as though the show is unmitigated misery – far from it!  There is superb acting, wonderful music, lively dancing, drumming and singing, audience involvement, a lot of fun along the way, and the opportunity to reflect on concepts of fate and mortality.

The comic humour in the piece largely comes from three very lively Dokkaebi – day goblins – who live in the area to which the young king is exiled, and whose duty is to protect the area from bad humans.  They come to investigate the humans in the audience – are we bad, in which case they can do terrible things to us?  They are pranksters at heart, but principled ones…. They encourage our participation, narrate the story and add their own goblin commentary – how can these humans be so awful to each other?  [How indeed?]

There is a magnificent confrontation between the young king and his uncle: the boy loves his people but the uncle says love is not enough in a king – he must have power.  He demonstrates this when, later on, some of the boy king’s loyal ministers refuse to accept the man they see as a usurper.  They must all be destroyed – there must be no more support for the exiled king.

The music is a brilliant and constant presence.  There are some wonderful love songs and haunting songs of longing for the young king and his wife.  I wish I could credit them by name, because they are both superb.  The nobility of the young king is impressive – he rebukes anyone who calls him ‘your majesty’ because he doesn’t want them to suffer on his account.  Even the official bringing the ‘gift’ of poison is treated with loving courtesy.  His young wife, Jeongsun, refuses to accept help from the usurping king, preferring instead to support herself by dyeing cloth.  She cherishes Danjon’s memory all her life, even when news of his death reaches her and she realises there is now no hope of meeting him again some day.

All this sounds very miserable – but it isn’t, even though it’s very sad.  There are many moments of humour, and there are decent people who refuse to denounce the young king, and show him their love.  The young couple’s sorrow is heartfelt and deeply moving to witness; we too feel sorrow at the loss of people we love.  The show ends with a Requiem in which we are reminded that our loved ones who have died live on in our memories, and that by thinking of them we can help them reach a place of peace.

This is a superb show from Poem and Star Theatre Company, part of the Korean Season at the Fringe.  Come and enjoy, be moved, and carry its haunting atmosphere and heartwarming affection with you as you go through this crowded city and into the rest of your life.1457, The Boy At Rest, Studio 1 at Assembly George Square (Venue 17) for more information go to: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/1457-the-boy-at-rest

Mary Woodward at the Festivals

Mrs Roosevelt flies to London, Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) Review

Brett Herriot

**** (4 stars)

“An impressive piece of writing”

A good show,well delivered, well presented, well acted.  The audience was deeply appreciative – for me, it just went on a bit too long…

Insomniac, indefatigable worker, organiser, and champion of the underdog, wife and fifth cousin of president F D Roosevelt, human dynamo, chair of the United Nations Commission formed to draw up the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and so much more, Elinor Roosevelt’s life motto might well have been what was a constant refrain throughout the show – “So much more to do”.

We first meet her towards the end of her life, at the time of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.  A stand-off between Russia and the United States, it seemed for a few days that the world was on the brink of a war that could destroy it.  “If only Mr Kennedy and Mr Khrushchev would talk to each other, maybe at my cottage”, she says – after all, they’ve met there before…

Looking back over her life, she wonders whether it has achieved anything…. Cue a fascinating excursion through her life, seen through the framework of a visit she made to the United Kingdom in 1942.  America had joined the war and she flew across the Atlantic to represent her husband on a non-stop succession of conversations, meals both informal and exceedingly formal, with visits to everything from Buckingham Palace to a pig club.  Everywhere she went she talked to people, spoke encouragingly of all she saw, did her best to boost morale in the UK and kept people at home informed and engaged by a constant stream of newspaper columns and letters.

Her memory could be called elephantine, as she tells us about the people in her past and her present, people she meets on occasions separated by many years, statesmen and royalty, those engaged in the fight with weapons and those who fight in other ways – workers [mostly women], both paid and unpaid, and even children.  Her care and concern seem boundless – nothing is too small for her attention.

Alison Skilbeck has crafted this show well, with extensive use of Eleanor’s diaries and writings [and probably listened to a fair number of recordings of broadcasts, too].  She is very adept at creating instant portraits of the people she engages with – we particularly appreciate her portrayals of Elizabeth, Queen Consort of George VI [who became known as the Queen Mother after her husband’s death], and Queen Mary, George’s mother.  We see Churchill [and Mrs Churchill] alongside many other statesmen, heads of government, factory workers, Women’s Voluntary Service and Land Army people, and many more.  

The narrative jumps backwards and forwards in time, giving an increasingly broad picture of a woman who had a miserable start in life, a pretty horrific mother-in-law, and a definitely less than perfect husband.  It’s good to know there were loving women in her life too – something probably less well known about Eleanor – one of whom was a major influence in enabling her to grow into being First Lady.

It’s an impressive piece of writing, and an equally impressive feat of acting.  The production, direction and lighting are good – though I could wish there had been a lot less dry ice – I had to hold my hankie over my nose and mouth throughout the show.  And, as I’ve said, it went on a bit too long for me…

At the end of the show, Eleanor is looking back, remembering the bombs that ended World War Two.  “Truman had to bomb to end the war”, she said earlier in the show – but I couldn’t help thinking that all that had happened since then simply shows to serve that, no matter the size of the bomb you use, someone will build one bigger and more powerful: the arms race and the threats will simply go on and on.  And for all the UN has achieved and still [hopefully] continues to do, the UN declaration of human rights is not taken seriously or adhered to by so many governments and nations around the world today.

Did Eleanor Roosevelt’s life achieve anything?  I leave it to you to see the show and decide for yourself.Mrs Roosevelt flies to London, Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) for more information go to https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/mrs-roosevelt-flies-to-london

Mary Woodward at the Festivals

EIF, NFM Leopoldinum Benedetti & Sitkovsky’s tribute to Menhuin, Usher Hall, Review

Brett Herriot

***** (5 stars)

“Blissful and challenging”

What a treat!  Blissful and challenging [for me] in equal measure, tonight’s concert by Poland’s National Forum of Music Leopoldinum string orchestra was part of this year’s Focus on Poland series.  Devised as a tribute to the great violinist and humanitarian Yehudi Menhuin, it was led by two of the Menhuin School’s many talented alumni, Festival director Nicola Benedetti and the orchestra’s Artistic Director Alexander Sitkovetsky.

Nicola came on stage to welcome us and introduce the programme and its performers to us.  She and Sasha Sitkovetsky were both pupils at the Menhuin School and had strong connections with all the pieces played tonight.   Joining the orchestra on stage for most of the programme were young musicians from the Festival’s Risings Starts of Strings.

The orchestra has no conductor – it’s led by the lead violin.  This gives a different dynamic to their playing: a collaboration, a conversation between equals, with room for inspiration and invention ‘on the hoof’’ rather than a meticulously prepared and directed performance.

Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra in Emi, Op 20 sounded so very English.  Its opening allegro was warm and delicate; the subsequent larghetto lush and romantically yearning; the closing allegretto had graceful, uplifting melodies dancing gently over the lower voices’ gentle skipping.

Panufnik’s Violin concerto from 1971 was from a completely different world. Sasha Sitkovetsky opened the piece with an angular solo outburst that sounded like a challenge to the orchestra before the movement built into a rich tapestry of harmonically angular sounds.  The second movement was brooding and melancholy, with the soloist regularly producing fantastically high and eerie harmonic notes before the music warmed into richness again.  The third movement was a lively helter-skelter, the soloist taunting and teasing the other musicians who responded in kind.  Angular rhythms and gypsy-like melodies, full of energy, framed a playful cadenza before everyone joined in a fast and furious finale.  I personally found this piece extremely challenging, but the whole Usher Hall audience saluted it with loud cheers and prolonged applause.

After the interval came my moments of bliss – JS Bach’s Concerto for 2 violins in D minor, BWV 1043.  Nicola and Sasha grew up playing this piece at the Menhuin School, and it’s been a part of my life and one of my two most favourite pieces in the world for as long as I can remember.  The two soloists engage in an intimate conversation, at times closely engaged, at others moving off on their own, and always as an integral part of the whole piece rather than ‘stand out’ parts over a less important backing.  It’s by turn tender, joyful, lively, fun, and utterly glorious throughout – small wonder that there was a positive storm of heartfelt applause after the final notes.

Bartòk’s Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz 113 closed the programme, and presented me with another challenge.  The opening allegro was very rhythmic with spiky harmonies, making me think of relentless machinery: there was a lot of passion, but I felt divorced from it – an observer rather than a participant.  The adagio’s dissonant melody floated over a low, almost spooky grumbling to which the violas attempted to offer a mellow consolation. The two moods’ conflict built into a rumbling discontent which ended suddenly and very uncertainly.  The closing allegro assai was lively, with a tune on which everyone agreed.  The first viola had a chance to shine before Sasha Sitkovetsky’s violin went berserk and everyone else followed.  Nicola Benedetti had a short showy solo and everyone on stage joined in a fast and furious finale which again was greeted with a positive storm of applause.

An incredible display of talent, and electrifying performance from all concerned!

EIF, NFM Leopoldinum Benedetti & Sitkovsky’s tribute to Menhuin, Usher Hall, for more information go to: https://www.eif.co.uk/events/nfm-leopoldinum-benedetti-sitkovetskys-tribute-to-menuhin