Coffee-Table Notes

Festival Theatre, Edinburgh Four stars To be clear for anyone currently wading their way through Andrew Davies’ bleak as Christmas TV adaptation of Victor Hugo’s epic novel, this is the one with songs. And songs are at the heart of this touring revival of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg’s stage version, which has become one of the most successful musicals ever since its first UK staging in 1985. The story focuses on the fall and rise of ex-con Jean Valjean, who was banged up after stealing a loaf of bread before turning his life around to become a factory owning mayor. Out of this comes an emotional expose of everyday poverty and the extremes necessity can provoke as Valjean takes in the orphaned Cosette before ending up at the vanguard of a people’s revolt. All this goes at a fair old gallop, with few set-pieces allowed to linger among some impressive stage pictures. Matt Kinley’s set design and projected backdrops by 59 Productions lends the comings and goings a ...

Various venues, Edinburgh Four stars In the shadow of Luke Jerram’s installation, Museum of the Moon, which hangs over the interior of St Giles’ Cathedral, a fanfare is sounded from behind a screen. An overhead projector beams out a series of miniature cut-out models as a four-part chorale sings of ancient things. This is Disarming Reverberations, a one-night-only experience that formed part of the Burns and Beyond mini festival’s Culture Trail, which hosted events across eight city centre venues over four hours on Saturday night. Curated by Lau’s Martin Green and featuring Alba Brass and the group Landless, Disarming Reverberations evoked a spirit of after-dark mystery which fed through the other venues. While across town Lost Map Records founder The Pictish Trail recreated the label’s Howlin’ Fling nights in the Freemason’s Hall, and the Gilded Balloon presented bite-size comedy sets at the Rose Theatre, at Greyfriars Kirk, spoken-word night Neu! Reekie! co-founder Kevin W...

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow Four stars Teenage dreams are hard to beat in Ali de Souza’s revival of Shakespeare’s most psycho-active rom-com, given a fair old elixir of youth by the RCS’ second year BA Acting students. De Souza sets out his store on school prize-giving day at downtown Athens High, where love is in the air, and both students and teachers old enough to know better are a little bit overcome. Poor head-girl Hermia is so lovesick she takes a leap down the rabbit-hole of her fevered imagination as stage-fright and hormones get the better of her. School janny Egeus has to complain to head teachers Theseus and Hippolyta about the big fallout between Hermia, her swotty pal Helena and the boys who’ve come between them, Lysander and Demetrius. Once the gang do a runner in the woods, things take on a Lord of the Flies vibe, as chemical enhancement fires them up enough to ditch their old school ties. Meanwhile, goody-two-shoes Titania and Oberon are letting thei...