Tonight is third and final Variety Night of the 2016/2017 season at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. The evening is a mix of spoken word, poetry, music, theatre and dance and is put together by local promoters Flint & Pitch. The Variety Nights stand out amongst the theatre and events that are usually programmed by the Lyceum and has proven to be a great way to get a new audience into the venue.
The evening kicks off with Maud The Moth, who also return later to close the show. The band combine jazz, soul, powerful vocals and rock to great effect and fill the large performance space of the Lyceum with their expansive music. This great opening act is followed by theatre-maker Kerian Hurley. He is a Fringe First winning writer and performer and is best known for his shows Head’s Up and Beats. Tonight Keiran reads an excerpt from the script of Beats. The show looks at rave culture if the mid 1990’s and how the government attempted to ban people coming together to listen to and dance to music with repetitive rhythms. The concept of the show sounds far fetched, but it is indeed true. Keiran gives a ten minute animated reading in which he embodies a variety of characters and delivers the story with enthusiasm and gusto. Beats is being adapted into a movie, so it will be interesting see how this show transfers from the stage to the big screen. The first section of the evening is closed by the two piece folk band The Miss’s. The duo (Michelle Low and Audrey Tait) recently released their debut 11 track album Crash and a play a short and enjoyable set that showcases the power of their vocals and the quality of their song-writing.
The second section kicks off with poet and performer Caroline Bird. Her poetry is funny, enjoyable and is the perfect spoken word act for a Sunday evening at the Lyceum. The event takes a change of pace with dance act Jack Webb. He is a solo dancer and choreographer who presents a physical performance that is infused with tension. Mairi Campbell is probably best known for her popular Fringe show Pulse. She is a folk singer who has the ability to perform haunting and catchy music that draws on the roots of Scottish traditional music. Tonight the audience gets a taster of her talents as a singer and performer and will no doubt be delighted to hear that Mairi is bringing Pulse back to the Edinburgh during the Fringe this Summer. Mairi’s time on stage seemed to fly by, so having the chance to see her again for a longer period is an opportunity not to be missed.
The final section has a lot to live up to, as parts one and two were variety at its best. Poet Kathleen Jamie takes to the stage to read a selection of her poetry which is influenced by the Scots language and landscapes. Kathleen makes way for Maud The Moth to close the show with more Jazz and soul infused music. As you would expect with a variety night there is something for everyone and certain acts resonate more than others. Hopefully the Variety Nights at the Lyceum will return with the 2017/2018 season and continue to be a feature at the venue.