Mary Baillie

Adam Kay is the doctor-turned-comic who secured paramount success with his show and book 'This is Going to Hurt'. In his latest piece based on his new book, the audience undergo another emotional rollercoaster as Kay recounts the laborious laments of being an NHS frontliner.

Sometimes tactical stagecraft, talented actors and a minimalist set are all you need to evoke spine-chilling terror.

Emma Rice places an old age folktale in a new age context through an eccentric movement-led, magical and musical theatrical extravaganza.  

Mischief Theatre made headlines in the West End with their acclaimed “Goes Wrong” series, where the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society showcases performances and everything goes absolutely haywire. Despite previous mishaps, this fictional acting troupe are back again, this time attempting a rendition of Peter Pan. 

Drawing on Theatre of the Absurd, clowning and Bertolt Brecht, this Tim Burton-esque musical uses quirky song and dance to explore humanity's deepest, darkest truths. 

Labelled as 'the most shocking, subversive and violent play on the London stage', David Ireland's Cyprus Avenue is a darkly comic exploration of sectarian hatred. This one definitely isn't for the faint-hearted.

Actors bare it all in Simon Beaufoy's award-winning adaptation of The Full Monty in Glasgow this week. A hilarious, delightful and phenomenally-acted story with an important social critique - what's not to love?

An ancient play with a contemporary message, Perth Youth Theatre’s Antigone tells us to never underestimate a powerful woman, or talented young people.

Last weekend sparked a very different theatrical audience - mostly male, all sporting green, ready to watch a unique piece catered to Celtic football fans. For the first time ever, I saw a very long-line to the men's toilets at interval and virtually no-one at the ladies! The piece had some decent jokes and an interesting (although strange) plotline, but only works for this very specific demographic.

The RCS second-year BA Acting cohort present a welcome genderfluid adaptation of Shakespeare’s queerest comedy. It is an engaging lens, although a cliché ending left me wanting more.

Gary McNair's one-man adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde faces a daunting obstacle: most of us know how it ends. Consequentially, the piece's challenge shifts from the story itself to how it is told - it not only needs to be immensely engaging, it needs to present a new perspective to combat overfamiliarity. It achieves the former, but the latter is less convincing.

Adapted for the stage by Alexander Dinelaris, the piece follows bodyguard Frank Farmer (Ayden Callaghan) who is hired to protect music superstar Rachel Marron (Emily Williams) and her son Fletcher (Kaylen Luke) after she receives death threats from a harrowing stalker (Marios Nicolaides). Despite a rocky start, Rachel and Frank's relationship blossoms amidst familial tensions and increasing danger. 

The sun is shining brightly on Pitlochry this winter with an incredible revival of the Scottish classic musical Sunshine on Leith. Set to songs by The Proclaimers, the play follows Leith natives Davy and Ally who return home after serving in war overseas. They face a changed Edinburgh, romantic entanglements and an exploration of what 'home' truly means. 

The Royal Conservatoire’s ‘Performance in British Sign Language (BSL) and English’ students present a profound piece showcasing the overwhelming importance of equity for all in the theatre space. At its core ‘Second Person Narrative’ is about identity - the piece depicts 25 scenes following a central character’s life from birth to death, posing thought-provoking questions like: can we forge our own self, or is it sculpted by those around us? Who defines who we are? Can we choose our own destiny? What does it mean to be ‘labelled’?

In their humble abode of Killicrankie, the McTwankie family are in a spin trying to keep their laundry business afloat while the evil Countess searches impatiently for the cave of pleasures, treasures and immeasurable measures. The piece is enjoyable for children, but slightly misses the mark for adults.

A playfully profane Alice in Wonderland-esque trip transforms into a profound psychological exploration in The Wonderful World of Dissocia at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland this week. The play's two acts are polarisingly different, offering an insightful perspective on the 'treatment' of mentally ill patients.

You'll have the time of your life watching this classic at King's Theatre this week. Featuring phenomenal choreography, catchy tunes and impressive production value, Federico Bellone's Dirty Dancing is entertaining, exciting and oh so enticing. Like Baby, nobody puts this show in the corner!

It’s worth coughing up some cash for Daniel Evans’ and Sean Linnen’s Quiz: The Coughing Major Millionaire Scandal at Kings’ Theatre this week.

If you go to 2:22 A Ghost Story expecting traditional spine-chilling phantoms, you will be disappointed. Renouned in the West End for starry casts and numerous awards, 2:22 A Ghost Story isn't really a ghost story at all. Far from the horror genre one might expect, the piece is more of an amusing but long-winded exploration of how we define ghosts and how we view ghost believers... with the occasional jumpscare.

A frontrunner of Scottish school curricula, Ann Marie Di Mambro’s Tally’s Blood has a bit of everything – history, humour, tragedy, romance and disturbingly relevant social critiques.