ED2022 4/5 Reviews ED2022 Theatre Reviews

Half-Empty Glasses (Paines Plough / Rose Theatre Kingston)

By | Published on Monday 22 August 2022

Theatre company Paines Plough are as reliable an indicator of well-made theatre as you’ll get on the Fringe. Here, we meet Toye, a gifted young classical pianist who is good at most things. Whilst preparing for entry to a top music school, he becomes interested in black history – or rather its absence from the curriculum. Characteristically, he reads, learns and engages, drawing in his schoolmates too. But they follow his activism only up to a point and his school has limited tolerance. The resultant personal and social tensions are well and clearly explored, even if there is a lack of final resolution. The use of music, light and movement to express the otherwise inexpressible adds something special to the show.

ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall, until 28 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Alan Cranston]

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