Category: Brett Herriot Review

**** 4Stars

“ A joyous nostalgia filled evening of musical joy “

There can’t be an 80’s movie classic that hasn’t at some point been adapted into a stage musical, the one film cannon that seemed the most unlikely to be given the stage treatment is 1984’s The Karate Kid starring the late Pat Morita as Mr Miyagi and the still youthful Ralph Macchio as Daniel Larusso.

Debuting in 2022 in St Louis the Karate Kid the musical see’s the return of the motion pictures screen writer Robert Mark Kamen to write the book with music and lyrics composed by Drew Gasparini, directed by Amon Miyamoto and featuring choreography from Keone and Mari Madrid. It’s a musical that succeeds because it stays true to the spirit of the original, retelling the timeless tale of good over adversity and the discovery of what a person can do if they find balance and self-belief in ones self. The musical also cleverly stays with in the 80’s world many of us remember in our childhoods. The songs and score have a terrific 80s pop feel and are delivered in style by both cast and a stellar ten strong pit orchestra under the baton of Musical Director Chris Poon.

Performances are excellent with the cast being lead in style by Adrian Pang as Mr Miyagi who delivers a performance that brings out the best of Pat Morita’s original film interpretation but also makes the character more human. The gorgeous Gino Ochello makes his professional stage debut as Daniel Larusso as well as having an uncanny resemblance to Macchio he brings a youthful innocence to the role but also possesses a beautiful singing voice. The leads are joined by a 14 strong ensemble many of whom appear in featured roles. Special mention goes to Sharon Sexton as Lucille Larusso, Daniel’s erstwhile and hard-working mother. Her voice is on point, and she brings real emotional valour to the part.

Production wise this is a west end worthy production with Derek McLane’s Scenic design blending San Francisco with the Orient with ease however there was a set malfunction in that the automated screens came in to far onto stage, so the audience got to see the magic of live theatre to often as the crew changed set between scenes. That said the set is beautifully lit by Bradley King with additional inspired support from Peter Nigrini’s projection design. Ayako Maeda’s lush costume design brings fresh life to 80’s americana and Kai Harada’s sound design is faultless.

Karate Kid the musical works as a musical adaptation as it doesn’t pretend to be something its not, its clearly a work of passion for both the company and the production team, blending a cherished story with classic elements of theatre, especially the use of a physical Greek chorus that ultimately delivers a joyous nostalgia filled evening of musical joy and a night well worth the ticket price. 

So why not head to the festival theatre and grab a ticket for journey to an 80’s classic and discover your true self all over again! Wonderful stuff.

The Karate Kid, The Musical, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh runs until Saturday 27thth June for more information and tickets go to: https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/the-karate-kid/

The UK Tour continues and the Production will visit the Theatre Royal Glasgow  Tuesday 30^th June to Saturday 4^th July 2026

***** 5 Stars

“Boundary Bending Ballet Perfection!“

For over half a century the world renowned “Trocks” have inspired, entertained and brought laughter to generations of ballet fans. The company formed in 1974 as an artistic response to the Stonewall uprising putting men at the very heart of classical ballet which has been retooled for modern audiences with a helping of comedy. There can’t be a fan of theatre who has not heard of  Les Ballets Trockadero a ballet company that transcends the ballet artform and has made a generation of dance fans adore them.

The company mark there 50^th anniversary with a new UK tour which is nearing its conclusion with two nights in Edinburgh followed by a visit to Aberdeen with a programme that combines there classic Le Lac Des Cygnes (Swan Lake, Act II) as There first act followed by a second act that combines DON QUIXOTE  Pas de Deux, GO FOR BAROCCO  and THE DYING SWAN concluded with a third act featuring VALPURGEYEVA NOCH (“WALPURGISNACHT”). The programme is inspired and delivered with true class and faultless performances from the entire company.  The true highlight must be Robert Carter as Olga Supphozova in the Dying Swan, which is simply beautifully danced and mines every ounce of comedy from the piece. He leaves the audience wanting more with his beautifully executed piece.

The “Trocks” are masters of there craft all the gentlemen are gifted students of the ballet and each of them know how infuse the right amount of comedy into each performance. This is no night at the Royal opera house in London’s Covent Garden, but a night of ballet born of the loft rooms and supper bars of 1970’s New York that seeks to do nothing but raise laughter and entertain.

Entertain they do, accompanied by a lush orchestral soundtrack, stunning costumes and great lighting the Trocks once again prove that the Ballet is for everyone and the artform can inspire, education and entertain in equal measure to any other.

Fifty years of entertaining and producing boundary bending ballet perfection ensures the audience keep returning to wherever and whenever this magical New York troupe performs. At just over 2 hours including 2 intervals it’s a perfectly judged performance that has love of the ballet at its heart.

For a quality evening of comedy ballet danced by the worlds best dancers this is the show for you and long may the Trocks rein supreme! Last few tickets remain so grab them before there gone!

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Festival Theatre, Edinburgh runs until Wednesday 17th June for more information and tickets go to: https://www.capitaltheatres.com/shows/les-ballets-trockadero-de-monte-carlo/

The UK Tour continues and the Production will visit His Majesty’s Theatre Aberdeen  Friday 19^th and Saturday 20^th April.

***** 5 Stars

“Heartfelt, Endearing and Deeply Moving! “

Marking 75 years of theatre making at the heart of the gateway to the highlands The Pitlochry Festival finally welcomes Alan Cumming’s inaugural season as Artistic Director with a heartfelt, endearing and deeply moving production of “Once” with music and lyrics by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová and a book by Enda Walsh, Once is the Tony Award-winning musical based on John Carney’s much-loved 2007 film.

Premiering in New York in 2011 at the American Repertory theatre prior a transfer to Broadway at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre the production would go on to win eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Once now makes its debut in Scotland at Pitlochry. Reuniting the original creative team to bring this modern and generational classic to the stage, opening Alan Cumming’s inaugural season in as style that see’s the venue transformed with renewed creative flair for the future.

Once tells the story of Guy (The sublime Dylan Wood), a disillusioned street musician ready to leave his songs behind, and Girl (Lydia White in emotional honest performance), who challenges him to believe in his talent. With the support of an unconventional group of friends and fellow musicians, they embark on creating an album together. Along the way they discover themselves, there sense of place alongside love and where the heart belongs a potent mix that’s handled beautifully by acclaimed director John Tiffany.

Tiffany has blended his two lead stars with a beguilingly talented eight strong ensemble of actor/musicians to create a company that bleeds passion and truth in every scene. This is one of those rare utterly faultless productions that doesn’t retool the show but reshapes it with passion for the venues home and new generation of theatre goers it seeks to attract.

Performances are uniformly excellent throughout with gorgeous vocals aplenty and the decision of director John Tiffany to make the show inherently Scottish pays off in spades. Production wise the show is a triumph with Bob Crwoley’s design evoking many a Scottish pub with ease with credit to the in-house team at the Theatre for a wonderfully, realised set and costume design. The pub is beautifully lit by lighting designer Natasha Katz and the moments of soliloquy have perhaps some of the most evocative lighting ever created in “Once”.  Clive Goodwin’s sound design is also beautifully realised.

Much was riding on Alan Cumming picking the right show with which to launch his inaugural season at the theatre, not just to prove his artistic vision but as a creative expression that the changes he has made are for the better and set the Pitlochry Theatre on a renewed sense of self and that after 75 years the theatre at the gateway to the highlands is still creative melting pot that exceeds far beyond its stage.

Once is show that once seen is never forgotten and This Pitlochry Festival production will transcend time as uniquely special and individual production that will last long in the memory of all those who have good fortune to see. So why not head for the highlands and grab what very few tickets remain before falling slowly for the shows charms yourself! and if you get there early enough you might get a chance to head onstage and share a pint with the other locals! wonderful stuff.

Once, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pitlochry runs until Saturday 27^th June for more information and tickets go to: Once | Pitlochry Festival Theatre

**** 4 Stars

“A True Thriller Chiller! “

Multi award winning and Olivier award nominated “2:22, A Ghost Story” embarks on a new UK tour following five runs at some of London’s west ends most intimate theatres including the Gielgud, The Criterion and the Lyric  and calls at the Edinburgh Playhouse  for a week long run and delivers a production that remains a true thriller chiller of a show!

Written by Danny Robins and Directed by Matthew Dunster & Gabriel Vega Weissman, “2:22 A ghost story” tells the story of Jenny (Shvorne Marks) who believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam (James Bye) isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren (Natalie Casey) and new partner Ben (Grant Kilburn). Can the dead really walk again? Belief and scepticism clash as we are asked, is everything as it appears to be or does something feel strange and frightening, and that something is getting closer, so they’re going to stay up… until 2:22… and then they’ll know. Or will they?

Performances across the board are excellent with all four principals investing in their characters and all deliver finely nuanced and intricate performances. They are all utterly believable both as married couples and individuals. Special attention should go to James Bye who is a marvel at delivering the minute details that if watched closely could reveal the truth of what’s happening.  The reality is this piece works so well due to the stellar writing that’s the perfect blend of kitchen sink drama meets the spectre of something which lives beyond on the vail of life and to see it delivered by such a stellar cast reminds the audience why the play is so successful and has packed audiences into the west end and around the UK.

The only drawback of this performance was the choice of venue, the massive Edinburgh Playhouse at nearly 3000 seats is simply too big to generate the intimate nature of the play which sees it at its best, that said its brave choice to play the space and credit to the Playhouse for programming the play and expanding a programme in the venue that’s aft musical heavy.

Production wise Anna Fleischle set design is excellent and pure quality in equal measure bringing to life the front room of a suburban London town house with ease although it very heavily “brought in” which much of the Playhouse stage swathed in black cloth. Lucy Carter’s lighting design is excellent adding real depth to the show. Ian Dickinson’s sound design is on the money and both Carter’s and Dickinson’s work allows those scare and jump moments to work beautifully. Special mention to Chris Fisher for his illusions design that adds that extra mythical sparkle that’s the cherry on the cake.

2:22 is a ghost play that blends the classic elements of an Agatha christie thriller with an audience of the Netflix generation and does it remarkably well and that makes it endlessly entertaining so hurry along to the Playhouse and grab a ticket for a show that will not only leave you shaken and stirred but deep in conversation long after the curtain has fallen. Wonderful stuff indeed.

2:22, A Ghost Story, Edinburgh Playhouse until Saturday 30^th May, for more information and tickets go to: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/2-22-a-ghost-story/edinburgh-playhouse/

The Productions UK Tour will continue until July 2026.

**** 4 Stars

“Packed with Wow Moments! “

A modern musical that’s become a beloved favourite of Scottish audiences is without doubt Sunshine on Leith featuring the music of The Proclaimers written by Stephen Greenhorn (Yes the mind behind BBC Scotland’s River City) the show debuted in 2007 at the stellar Dundee Rep followed by a big screen adaptation in 2013. The West Yorkshire Playhouse would produced a reworked version of the show in 2018 and its that production which local company Stage Door Entertainment have brought to the stage just a stone’s throw down the road from the heart of Leith itself at the Portobello Town Hall. They deliver a show rich in character and packed with wow! Moments!

Telling the story of Ally (Ewan Robertson) and Davy (Aaron Khachaturian) two Leith lads who return from deployment in the middle east to try and pick up home life where they left off! Encountering family issues and affairs of the heart that can someone times be more of a battle than that of the front lines. Can hope of a better life and the power of love be enough to see them through to civvy street? this show explores that journey with great warmth and generosity of spirit.

Directed by Lisa Goldie with musical direction from Tommie Travers and Choreography by Aiden O’Brien Stage doors production wears its heart firmly on sleeve getting great performances from the large 7 strong principal company and nearly 30 strong supporting and ensemble cast.

Robertson and Khachaturian deliver powerful performances throughout the show leading the company in style with Khachaturian having an utterly gripping knack for character acting. Malcolm Milne and Lindsay McDougall as “Rab” and “Jean” are a convincing elder couple struggling with the revelation of long hidden secrets and leaning well into Greenhorns soap style writing of the script. Ellie McConachie and Monique Crisell as “Liz” and “Yvonne” deliver the vocal highlights of the show with rich vocal sounds being delivered by both with real charm. Erin Aitchinson as “Eilidh” has a tricky job as the character is shoe horned into the story as a plot device rather than a character with depth, but she delivers well.

The ensemble shines every moment there onstage especially when delivering O’Brien’s inventive choreography. As a whole company, that the show delivers spine tingling moments with “Sunshine On Leith” and “Letter from America” becoming haunting moments of truth that touch the soul.

Musical Director Tommie Travers has eeked out every harmony from the score and his polished company deliver them with true style that echoes around the town hall and all this backed by his stellar eight strong pit band featuring a magnificent string trio that’s rarely heard or seen in other productions.

There were opening night nerves across the company with dropped lines peppering the performance, but the tightness of the company was clear as they carried on through using just the right touch of comedy to smooth over the edges.

Production wise its less even, its great to see Stage door really open up the Town Hall stage stripping it back to expose the wings but also using a wonderful simple setting of cloudy sky and Edinburgh Iconic skyline backed against it. Its all beautifully lit by Heather Rolland’s inspired lighting design that brings the beauty of the venue out as much as it does the emotional depths of the show. Simon Ferguson’s sound design suffered most from opening night glitches but considering he was brought in last moment to fill the roll it’s a great achievement given the size of the job at hand and when it comes to the big wow moments he delivered well.  Special mention also must go to Lesley O’Brien’s magnificent wardrobe design that captures Leith life with detail, style and truth.

Stage door have a real treat of show on there hands if they can speed up the transitions (the show comes in at nearly 3 hours end to end) between scenes getting it slicker and workout the kinks in the sound the show will ooze real flair and give that musical cherry on the cake.

So, what you waiting for? You don’t have to walk 500 miles to get a ticket for a terrific night of musical theatre, but you might walk 500 miles more if it sells out before you get there!

Stage Door Entertainment presents, Sunshine On Leith, Portobello Town Hall  Runs until Sunday 24th May, for more information and tickets go to: https://www.stagedoorentertainment.co.uk/tickets