Topically Tinsel at The Traverse

By John Kennedy and Phyllis Stephen

Christmas-Pud cookin’ and brandy flaming hot news reaches The Edinburgh Reporter from our friends at The Traverse Theatre announcing their Autumn/Winter season that promises some seriously Christmas chill-outs.

As the frost begins to bite and the chill starts to set in, fill your festive season with their heartwarming delights. There is variety aplenty on offer to warm your cockles on even the coldest December eve.

Traverse Theatre Company & Red Bridge Arts present

Black Beauty
Sat 3 – Sat 24 Dec

Trek back to your childhood as the ‘Christmas show dream team’ (The List) of Andy Manley, Andy Cannon and Shona Reppe bring a festive and vibrant re-telling of Black Beauty cantering onto the Traverse 1 stage this week. A visual feast blending storytelling, music and puppetry, it’s perfect for anyone aged 6 -106.

Traverse Theatre Company presents a Dirty Protest Production

Last Christmas

Tue 13 – Fri 23 Dec

Heading home for Christmas, and reeling from events in his personal life, Tom finds it’s time to confront his family, and his future, head-on.

This award-winning one-man show from Matthew Bulgo will make you laugh, cry and leave the theatre wanting to call your loved ones.

Traverse Theatre Company presents

Words Words Words
Fri 9 Dec

Words Words Words is our scratch platform for writers to test, experiment and discover their craft. Come along to witness these new creations coming to life for the very first time and join them afterwards in the Traverse Bar Café to feed back to the writers and be part of the discussion.
Find out more and book here

December at Soundhouse:

Let Soundhouse be the soundtrack to your December. Join us at Traverse Bar Café and fill your Monday evenings with music.

Cam Penner and Jon Wood
Mon 5 Dec, 8pm
Canadian duo return to Scotland following a sold-out Celtic Connections gig.

Dean Owens & the Whisky Hearts
Mon 12 Dec, 8pm

An emotional hurricane of stories and songs from a mighty all star line-up.

The Bevvy Sisters
Mon 19 Dec, 8pm
Early booking strongly advised for the musical party of the year.
Find out more and book here

TravCast

Each month they invite established playwrights onto their TravCast to discuss their craft, style and upcoming projects. So cosy with a cuppa, settle in, and listen below…

Associate Artist, Rob Drummond
Grain in The Blood, In Fidelity, Quiz Show

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Alan Bissett
One Thinks of it All as a Dream, The Pure, The Dead and The Brilliant.

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Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Fleabag, The One, Tribes

Christmas on Stage

This festive season, the Traverse is collaborating with Edinburgh’s Christmas, the Lyceum and the Usher Hall to create Christmas on Stage, celebrating live theatre and music in Edinburgh’s West End.

Catch the toe-tapping and irresistible hits of jazz legend Louis Jordan/Five Guys Named Moe, and there’s magic in store for all at Morgan & West: A (sort of) Christmas Carol Magic Show.

The Edinburgh Reporter was at the Press Night of Five Guys last week and it is a rip-roaring musical pick me up brought to Edinburgh by Underbelly in collaboration with Cameron Mackintosh. The show is on till 7 January 2017 at the Festival Square Theatre in front of the Sheraton Grand.

Sadly the story is a little light in content, but perhaps that is also the show’s redeeming feature, as it does not really get in the way of the music. Paulette Randall has directed the cast who were brought in just for this Edinburgh show in a tight version of the tale which began in 1990 at the Theatre Royal Stratford East before moving to the West End with Cameron Mackintosh.

Nomax and the Five Guys are brilliant singers and dancers. The production at this stripped back tent is very much in the round with a central area surrounded by a moving walkway which the cast make a lot of use of! (If you are sitting in the middle and have long hair then beware when the walkway starts moving behind you!

Choc full of Louis Jordan numbers some of which will be familiar to you (Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens and Let The Good Times Roll) it is toe-tapping and the tunes will stay with you afterwards.

It is a great fun show, and well worth going to see. Remember your EH postcode discount if you are booking tickets! Tickets here.