Comedy / 70 min / £12(£10) / 12+
Showing @ Summerhall, 3-26 Aug (not 6,13,20-21), 17.00
With a tongue-twister of a name and a plot that sounds like an episode of Embarrassing Bodies, you’d be forgiven for expecting Dr. Quimpugh to be a comic operetta. In actuality, the Petersham Playhouse’s new chamber opera is a surprisingly sensitive, poignant piece of theatre. There are some titters to be had, but make no mistake that this is a serious piece of work. Robert Gildon as the eponymous doctor and soprano Natalie Raybould and mezzo-soprano Tamsin Dalley as a catalogue of memorable patients demonstrate the expected vocal talent, but also an impressive degree of dramatic skill. Each character they create is genuinely distinct, and together they tell a surprisingly touching story.